Design Doha Biennial Highlights VCUarts Qatar’s Impact and Influence in the Creative Sector

From thought-provoking panel discussions to eye-catching installations, participants VCUarts Qatar helped make the very first edition of the Biennial a highly successful – and unforgettable one

The impact and influence of VCUarts Qatar in the world of art and design were palpable during the recently concluded Design Doha Biennial.

Faculty, staff, alumni and students from the Qatar Foundation partner university participated in the first edition of this hugely successful event that highlighted the abundance of creative talent in the region.

From thought-provoking panel discussions and inspiring social media videos introducing the Biennial to viewers, to eye-catching artworks, installations and designs in exhibitions, the University proved once again, that it truly is a catalyst for innovation and creative excellence in the region.

Several of VCUarts Qatar’s community were either moderators or panelists in Doha Design Forum, a series of discussions related to the Biennial. The list of participants included VCUarts Qatar’s Dean Amir Berbić – who moderated a panel discussion titled ‘Innovation by Education: Design’s Role in Social and Economic Development’ – and Abdulrahman Al Muftah, Sheikha Reem Al Thani, Maryam Al Homaid, Ghada Al Khater and Richard Lombard, to name a few.

Faculty and alumni were part of the prestigious ‘Arab Design Now’ exhibition at the Biennial. Using glass, clay, stone, metal, paper, wax, fabric and digital technology, the artworks and installations created by the University’s participants represented the range of ideas incubated at or inspired by their experiences at VCUarts Qatar and beyond. The list of exhibitors from VCUarts Qatar included Levi Hammet, Basma Hamdy, Abdulrahman Al Muftah, Maryam Al-Homaid, Aisha Al-Sowaidi, Asma Derouiche, Shima Aeinehdar, Maysaa Almumin, Marco Bruno, Simone Carena, Maryam Faraj AlSuwaidi, Majdulin Nasrallah, Nada Elkharashi and Alaa Albarazy, to name a few.

When it came to disseminating information, driving traction, and highlighting events daily during the Biennial, two University alumni, interior design graduates Ahmad Hashim and Nour Tarek Elzayat, caught the attention of social media users with their energetic and in-depth updates.

Four alumni, Nada Elkharashy, Reema Abu Hassan, Majdulin Nasrallah and Abdulrahman Al Muftah took part in ‘Design Doha Exchange Qatar/Morocco: Crafting Design Futures’. They visited four cities in Morocco, exploring and being inspired by contemporary and innovative art and design practices.

During the Biennial, ‘Mapping Migration Memories’, an exhibition organized and helmed by ‘Intangible Lab’, a research lab at VCUarts Qatar, took place at Company House, in Msheireb Downtown Doha. The exhibition, which opened to the public in November 2023, uses video, audio and physical installations to bring the historical biannual nomadic movements, specifically of the forefathers of two Qatari families, between the deserts and the seacoasts in and around Qatar, to life.