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Tasmeem Doha
Tasmeem Doha is an international biennial art and design conference hosted and organized by VCUarts Qatar since 2004. Each edition of Tasmeem Doha highlights a unique and contemporary theme within art and design, exploring novel concepts, methods, and applications, and engaging in critical discussions. Tasmeem is the Arabic word for design.
The event is open to the public, with attendees and participants consisting of international designers, artists, academics, students, industry professionals, and the local community.
Past Editions
Tasmeem Doha 2022
Radical Futures provided an inclusive and multi-faceted view of the future, one that not only speculates on technological advancements—but on future threats and changes, whether cultural, environmental, geographical, or social. The event consisted of speakers, workshops, panel discussions, film screenings, and two featured exhibitions. The keynote speakers were Eyal Weizman from Forensic Architecture, and Egyptian-born artist, curator, writer, and editor Omar Kholeif.
Tasmeem Doha 2019
The theme for Tasmeem Doha 2019 was “Hekayat” (the Arabic word for “stories”). Hekayat provided a platform where storytelling could be explored through various mediums, and stories could be shared and celebrated in a multitude of forms. The keynote speakers were Sir David Adjaye OBE, Founder and Principal of Adjaye Associates; and Julia Koerner, an award-winning Austrian designer, founder of JK Design, and faculty member at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Tasmeem Doha 2017
“Analogue Living in a Digital World” explored the intersection between the analogue and the digital within the context of our lived experience, and examined where the two modes differ, intertwine, and coexist. The conference looked at those changes and the differences between the industrial age, and the digital/information age. Speakers included Hasan Elahi, Monira Al Qadiri, Carlo Ratti, and Hisham Fageeh.
Tasmeem Doha 2015
The 2015 edition of Tasmeem Doha focused on the theme of ‘playfulness’ expressed by the Arabizi word 3ajeeb! (ahh-jhee-b). ‘3ajeeb’ means “strange in a strange way, cool in a cool way, and slightly weird in a slightly weird way.” Tasmeem Doha 2015 featured a unique partnership with the Barcelona-based post-digital culture festival OFFF. Speakers included Bangalore-based Indo-Danish art duo Pors & Rao, and filmmaker and social media phenomenon, Casey Neistat.