VCUQatar Gallery Presents ‘100 Thoughts: Chapter 1’

The exhibition is scheduled from September 15 to October 16, 2014 with an opening reception on Monday, September 15 at 6:00 pm at the Gallery at VCUQatar. The event is open to the public.

Tim Makower has been creating sketchbooks, not in a conscious way but rather as an extension of himself, throughout his time in Doha. As such these small books reflect his fleeting thoughts, ideas and moments in a very direct and personal way. “100 Thoughts: Chapter 1’ is a wonderful way to start this year’s gallery program at VCUQatar,” says Exhibitions and Speaker Curator Caitlin Doherty. “The simplicity of the medium is emphasized, yet each sketchbook holds starting points to different moments that Tim himself has explored. By exhibiting them in the gallery context, we invite the viewer to share his journeys, as well as construct their own personal narratives or ‘100 Thoughts’ in Doha.”

Makower says: “It is good to draw: it is a way of seeing. The hand can think; just like the mind. As we pass through our daily lives, we miss so much – so much of beauty, interest and depth. We skate the surface and all too rarely stop to look and listen to what lies beneath.  To stop momentarily and allow the pencil to make marks is to feel an electric current passing between our hands, our minds, our eyes and the world around us. It reveals energy and unlocks thoughts which may seem obvious but all too often come and go un-born.”

Tim Makower is principal of Makower Architects, an international practice specialising in architecture and urbanism, based in Doha and London.  His current projects include a new apartment building in West London, the Al Rayyan Gate masterplan in Doha, and a heritage-lead masterplan for Doha’s city centre. Makower is deeply engaged in culture, history and academia and is a frequent guest speaker at public events and forums. He is also the founder of ’10×10 Drawing the City’ London, The Old Doha Prize including a week-long design residency for UK and Qatari architects, and other cultural initiatives