VCUarts Qatar to make Landmark Debut at London Design Biennale 2025 with Matter Diplopia

Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) is set to make its inaugural appearance at the London Design Biennale 2025, showcasing Matter Diplopia, a dynamic, research-driven pavilion that explores the interplay of culture and materiality in a rapidly transforming nation. 

VCUarts Qatar is the branch campus of the highly-ranked Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Richmond, Virginia, and has been a partner university on the Education City campus of Qatar Foundation in Doha, Qatar since 1998.    

London Design Biennale’s fifth edition, ‘Surface Reflections’, will take place this year from 5 to 29 June at Somerset House. London Design Biennale is an international exhibition of over 40 exhibitors from around the world showcasing world-leading design confronting global challenges and inspiring audiences with thought-provoking installations.  

Matter Diplopia is a creative research collaboration between faculty, students, and alumni. Through nine research projects, the exhibition examines how environments, both natural and built, reveal deeper patterns of connection, transformation, and resilience in Qatar and beyond.

“With Qatar as its inspiration, where ancient landscapes meet rapid modernization, Matter Diplopia is a collective act of creative production, unfolding through nine projects co-created by faculty, students, and alumni of VCUarts Qatar,” said Amir Berbić, Dean of VCUarts Qatar. “We are proud to bring this work to the international stage for the first time, and to share how design can generate new forms of cultural dialogue, innovation, and exchange.”

The viewing experience invites audiences to “look again” at how materials shape, and are shaped by, cultural narratives. Projects include:

Chrysalis – A kinetic air-cleaning sculpture that transforms fabric and structure into a beautiful “breathing” system.

DUB DOUBT – A multisensory dub-inspired installation that questions cultural appropriation through sonic and tactile engagement.

El Zaffah – A celebration of Arab wedding traditions through immersive audiovisual storytelling.

Greener Greenhouse Goes GMT – A bamboo structure inspired by the Crystal Palace, built in Kenya using locally sourced materials and friction joinery.

Dunes and Dugongs – draws inspiration from Dungeons and Dragons to explore how our choices shape the planet’s future, urging action to prevent irreversible climate impacts.

Discursive Instrumentation of Urban Rhythms captures Doha’s cultural and migratory landscape through sound. Using interactive instruments symbolizing infrastructure, individuals, and movement, it blends elements into a unique urban soundscape.

Nature’s Alchemy – captures the cyclical essence of nature through the exploration of the date palm, a vital element in the region’s cultural and religious context. 

Stone Plus – A distinctive furniture collection reimagining fragile Qatari stone through adaptive design.

Tatreez Unbroken – Immersive works inspired by Palestinian embroidery, embodying the spirit and resistance of displaced women from Gaza.

Thematically, the exhibition draws on diplopia—the phenomenon of double vision—as a metaphor for seeing through multiple cultural and material lenses. It reflects on how local traditions and global influences intertwine, offering a layered narrative of Qatar’s evolving identity.

VCUarts Qatar’s debut at the Biennale underscores its growing international profile as a leader in interdisciplinary art and design education, cultural research, and innovation. 

“Being part of the London Design Biennale shows how design-driven research and creativity can offer meaningful responses to some of today’s most pressing challenges, within a context of cultural inquiry,” said Dr. Diane Derr, Associate Dean of Research at VCUarts Qatar. “Each of the nine projects we’re presenting opens up a different line of inquiry — some ask difficult questions; others propose unexpected solutions — but all reflect a shared commitment to exploring and responding to a rapidly changing world.”

Matter Diplopia will be on view at the London Design Biennale from June 5-29, 2025. More details are available here.