Studio’s Rehanah Spence traveled to the Middle East this past March to attend
Mousharaka: Icograda Design Week in Qatar, hosted by Virginia Commonwealth University Qatar.
The conference brought together practitioners, scholars, and students across design disciplines, cultures and regions to build bridges, raise awareness of the importance and promise of collaboration. The intention was to create bonds necessary to achieve the full potential of design in the Gulf region.
The theme for Mousharaka: Icograda Design Week in Qatar was Collaboration. Collaboration is a combined effort resulting in the deepening of inter-relationships and shared knowledge. Design is now considered a team endeavor where collaboration is crucial to achieve innovative results that are inclusive of cultures and mediums. Designers are crossing boundaries and have become part of creative interdisciplinary teams that address broader issues of communication, space, systems thinking, cultural identity, style, and business. Designers have become instrumental in teams that affect change on a global level.
The Education Symposium provided opportunities for educators to share research, pedagogy, and new thinking on the theme of collaboration.
The Professional Conference included 4 keynote speakers and 8 prominent presenters who shared their perspectives on design and design collaborations.
Design Debate Doha—The conference culminated in a rousing debate moderated by Al Jazeera’s Kamal Santamaria.
This house believes that…
Globalization harmfully subverts culturally unique sensibilities.
3 presenters for and 3 against.
Visit the websites for more info:
www.mousharaka.com
www.icograda.org
Some interesting speakers and links to check out:
Ibrahim Jaidah, Qatar
Prominent Qatari architect, Managing Director Arab Engineering Bureau.
aeb-qatar.com
Mira Nair, New York/Uganda by way of India
Accomplished film director, writer and producer.
mirabaifilms.com
Chris Abani, Nigeria
Profound poet, professor and performing artist.
chrisabani.com
Dr. Sami Angawi, Saudi Arabia
Architect, professor and Founder/Managing Director of the AMAR Center in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Founder of the Hajj Research Center.
amarinternational.blogspot.com
Petra Blaisse, The Netherlands
Founder of Inside Outside.
insideoutside.nl
Donna Campbell, New Zealand
Maori Artist and educator in Maori material culture, indigenous textile creation, and Maori art history.
Delaware, Japan
Delaware is a japanese super sonic group, designs music and musics design.
delaware.gr.jp
David Gibson, United States
Co-founder/managing principal of Two Twelve Associates, Inc. in New York City.
twotwelve.com
She also checked out the new Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar. Conceived as a center for Islamic art, culture and history by The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. The museum officially opened December 1st 2008. Architecture by I.M. Pei.
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