Throughout the course the student will discuss ideas of identity and the fluidity surrounding the evolution of self, suspending reality, the fusion of digital space and apparel design, and speculation of future scenarios and environments. Topics central to the course are: science fiction, nostalgia, maximalism, religious dogma, ethical and eco-conscious production and consumption, nature, iconography, and toys.

In Spring 2022, India Cloe will develop and curate a series of garments and support items (accessories, spaces/environments, and short films) framed under the title “Sacred 7”. She will address the notion of the physical self versus the projected/alternative self.

FILMS BY: Ayah Abdelwahab / Ayah Akl / Sameera Al Hamad / Al Jory Al-Buainain / Afifa Al-hayki Almaha Al-Horr / Shaikha Alhajri / Amal Aslem / Amani Azhar / Ayah El Fihail / Arwa Elgammal / Anastasia Marinova / Aiman Mohammed / Ghada Al-Kuwari / Sara Alfayad / Duha Ahmed / Dana Al Farra / Fatima Al-Ansari / Dhai Al-Dosari / Shaikha Al-Fadalah / Dhuha Al-Ghaffari / Haya Al-Janahi / Bashair Al-Khulaifi / Hissa Al-Kuwari / Rahaf Al-Mohannadi / Noor Al-Taleb / Fay Alsharif / Haneen Darwich / Ayan Ismayilova / Fatima Karamshahi / Haanin Shafeeque

PRODUCED BY: Assistant Professor Hadeer Omar, Teacher Assistant Ayza Sheikh Time Studio, Art Foundation Department Virginia Commonwealth University, School of the arts in Qatar, Fall 2021

Set in a space colony on Earth, this new sci-film explores how the future of smart cities relies on the promise of “sustainable” closed systems in the face of health and ecological crises. Two protagonists narrate how the control and exploitation of environmental life cycles and organisms become a blueprint to achieve such futuristic visions.

This film is screened as part of the Gulf Metaverse 2.0 program curated by Róisín Tapponi (Assyrian Iraqi-Irish film curator, programmer, writer, and academic)

The screening is taking place in the Atrium on 10th March 2022 at 9:30 AM  for the VCUarts Qatar community only. Please use the registration button to register.

Furthermore, this film is streamed via Shashamovies.com.

• 9th March & 10th March 2022, 9 AM – 12 PM
• Room 266
• Upon Registration Only

Merging culture studies, in which anthropology intertwine with artifacts’ social life, with reflections around natural ecosystems: in this masterclass, we will investigate the possibility to think of designed objects as a direct and pure representation of humans’ activities (=endogenous), and/or rooted in specific geographical and cultural contexts (=endemic).

The use of a biological framework is motivated by the idea that a sort of Lex Naturalis (Natural Law), intended here in its secular exception, should drive design towards solutions that create as little friction as possible between the natural environment and its inhabitants. Moreover, we will analyze how adjacent subjects, such as material studies and circular design could play a fundamental role in explaining how endemic and endogenous design is defined and what are its principles and methods.

This masterclass is, in some way, at the crossing between the four Tasmeem axes touching on critical elements such as design utopias, vernacular knowledge, post-colonialism, and new ecologies. After an initial brainstorming and gathering of creative stimuli from the local environment, participants will engage in some physical experimentations chasing endemic and endogenous design opportunities. The final outcomes could result in both still images, videos, or physical representations depending on the nature of the conceptual paths that each participant/group will decide to undertake.

This event is an in-person event for the VCUarts Qatar community only. Please use the registration button to register.

• 8th March 2022, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
• Atrium
• Upon Registration Only
  

Jessica Charlesworth and Tim Parsons from art and design studio Parsons & Charlesworth will discuss their multi-part project Catalog for the Post-Human, an expansive satire that critiques the tech and wellbeing industry’s drive to enhance human productivity to fulfill the needs of data-driven capitalism.

The latest iteration of the work, shown at last year’s Venice Architecture Biennale, takes the form of a near-future organization’s trade fair booth showcasing a series of body augmentation products for contingent workers, complete with animated infographics, marketing copy, an infomercial, and accompanying website.

The project provides a case study in critical worldbuilding, and in this talk, Jessica and Tim will share the processes and tools they used when developing and realizing the project, including how their research informed the satirical objects, texts, branding, and digital content that make up the Venice installation.

This event is an in-person event for the VCUarts Qatar community only that will be streamed live. Members of the public are welcome to ask questions in a moderated chat, at the end of each session. Please use the registration button to register and receive a link to your chosen event.

• 8th March & 9th March 2022, 4:15 PM – 7:15 PM
• VIRTUAL
• Upon Registration Only

The workshop is designed to help anyone who wants to engage in complexity, narratives, systems, design, business, problem-solving in a people-centered and futures-oriented way. It is meant for anyone who is interested in learning and ideating about how to design for and with people, understand mindset and behavior. Participants will have hands-on experience in mapping systems and unpacking people and doing problem-solving with an empathetic humanistic and systemic worldview. We will do this through a gamified experience (with sets of tools and cards designed at D.epicentre). This will potentially open conversations on the future of many aspects with reflections of the nature of crises we are undergoing.

Participants are required to bring their laptop with Zoom already installed.

This event is an in-person event for the VCUarts Qatar community only that will be streamed live. Members of the public are welcome to ask questions in a moderated chat, at the end of each session. Please use the registration button to register and receive a link to your chosen event.

• 7th March & 8th March 2022, 9 AM – 12 PM
• Room 266
• Upon Registration Only

This Masterclass by Jessica Charlesworth and Tim Parsons from art and design studio Parsons & Charlesworth reveals how satire can be used as an effective tool in the creation of provocative fictional worlds. Using their recent installation at the Venice Architecture Biennale, Catalog for the Post-Human as a case study, Jessica and Tim will take participants through a fast-paced process from digesting critical ideas about the future to creating descriptions and visualizations of satirical products. Along the way they will show examples of satirical works from different genres and illustrate how speculating upon the objects we may use in the future can be an effective means of questioning the values of the present.

The workshop will explore ethical concerns about human enhancement and the future of work, focusing upon four areas: Cognitive Enhancement, Enhanced Productivity, Optimized Wellness, and Expedited Recovery. This research, concerning the ethics of how technology might be applied in our futures, will be combined with the development of personas and scenarios, to generate new ideas for products which will be written up and visualized. The combined output of the workshop will form a new “page” in the Catalog for the Post-Human.

The workshop responds to the theme “The Institute of Speculation – Future Fictions, Dystopian Worlds & Imagined Artifacts”, covering topics including alternative futures, post-human narratives, and speculative sciences.

This event is an in-person event for the VCUarts Qatar community only. Please use the registration button to register.