• 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.

• 9th March & 10th March 2022, 9 AM – 12 PM
• Room 223
• Upon Registration Only

When does a future independent of carbon models begin? When can we envision a post-petroleum society? At times of planetary urgencies and extraction, the future of a post-petroleum society seems so near, yet far out of reach. The workshop examines the truth behind the so-called political urge to move beyond a petroleum-based society and to take steps closer to a knowledge-based society. The focus of the workshop is to create manifestos that address a radical future inherent in our hands. That is, the workshop extends on the accelerationist concept; a heresy insisting that a radical political response to capitalism is neither to critique, nor to détourne it, but to accelerate and exacerbate its abstractive tendencies. This workshop touches upon a broad range of subject matters including Manifesto Writing, Political and the Aesthetic, Historical Criticism, Affect Theory, and Film Studies.

The workshop is open to all participants interested in the above subject matter and does not require any prior knowledge.

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

• 9th March & 10th March 2022, 9 AM – 12 PM
• Room 101c
• Upon Registration Only 

It is 2022, and the idea of circularity shouldn’t be “radical”. Yet, it is. We continue to promote consumption, at unsustainable levels, with little or no thought to the end-of-life considerations of that consumption. At the core of Circularity lie materials: raw, processed, and waste. For many of us, these are foreign elements – something “out there” and vastly incomprehensible. Using the device of cooking, however, this workshop will treat materials as “ingredients”, and seek to acclimatize participants with the creation of new materials through this familiar act. Drawing on the culinary metaphor – the ephemeral and intoxicating soufflé is the result of four simple ingredients that everyone has in their kitchen at this very moment. The key is in the handling of the materials.

With assistance from Yasmeen Suleiman, Rabab Abdulla, and Abdul Rahman Anwar.

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

8th March 2022, 3:15 PM – 4:15 PM
Atrium
Upon Registration Only

In an era of high-tech and climate extremes, we are drowning in information while starving for wisdom. Enter Lo—TEK, a design movement building on indigenous philosophy and vernacular infrastructure to generate sustainable, resilient, nature-based technology.

Designer, activist, academic, and author, Julia is a leading expert on indigenous technologies, as seen in her book Lo-TEK, Design by Radical Indigenism, published by Taschen. She teaches at Harvard and Columbia while also leading an experiential, landscape, and urban design studio: Julia Watson with Marie Salembier. After graduating from Harvard with the highest award for her work on conservation and spiritual landscapes, she has been widely published and co-authored the Spiritual Guide to Bali’s UNESCO World Heritage with Dr. J. Stephen Lansing.

Julia approaches design as a “rewilding,” with a portfolio of projects including the Reef Resilience Initiative with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, private estates with the owners of PACE Galleries, and the artist Rashid Johnson. She is a fellow of Summit REALITY & Pop!tech, received a Christensen Fund for her work in conserving Bali’s first UNESCO World Heritage site, and was a Disruptive By Design Ambassador for WIRED. Lo-TEK has featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Washington Post and Fast Company. Born in Australia, she regularly travels to sacred sites and indigenous cultures across the globe.

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 213
• Upon Registration Only

Almost everything we use today is packaged. But could we think about a second life for those wasted plastic materials? The aim of the workshop is to play around with the transformation of non-biodegradable plastic bags and plastic bottles. How to explore those objects, which are very present in our daily lives, to divert their use? Using a simple iron, baking paper, and heat guns, we will have fun transforming those packaging into a new aestheticized material. Experimentation with materials, colors, and techniques will be at the center of this workshop.

Participants are required to bring plastic bottles, plastic bags, and wasted materials like pieces of wood, paper tubes, old t-shirts, which can be used to mold objects.

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