Mohammed Saeed Harib is the creator and Creative Director of Freej, the Middle East's first three-dimensional animated series that debuted during Ramadan in 2006.Freej is the tale of four traditional, national women living in a secluded neighborhood in modern day Dubai who face new social issues as the city expands around them. Freej was awarded the 2007 Hamburg Animation Award. Harib attended Northeastern University in Boston where he majored in general arts and animation.
It was a desire to preserve his culture that inspired the 28-year old Emirati to create his four unlikely heroines - complete with traditional face cover and henna or decorative body art. The idea was born six years ago while Harib was still studying in Boston, USA, "We were asked to create our versions of super heroes," recalls the general arts and animation major. "I realized there were no Arab superheroes. There was Batman, Spiderman and Superman, but none that we could call our own."
During the conference Mohammed will discuss the process and the challenges that went into making the Middle East's pioneering animated series Freej.
Tasmeem Doha 2008 will include 13 international designers, breakout sessions, design exhibitions and panel discussions. Participants will include practitioners, design professors and students from academic institutions and facilities throughout the world.
The goal of Tasmeem Doha is to engage scholars, students, practitioners and community members in conversations on design. The students, staff and faculty at VCUQatar are looking forward to the fifth year of this annual conference and the international group of designers and professionals who will gather at the university to discuss design and its role in the future.
