Design Festival Tasmeem Opens with Futurism Exhibition

Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar, (VCUarts Qatar) has announced the next edition of Tasmeem Doha, an art and design conference organized by the University every two years, to begin from March 7 with a public exhibition titled ‘Futurisms’.

Tasmeem Doha 2022: Radical Futures design conference addresses the role of design in shaping an inclusive and multi-faceted future. The conference not only speculates on technological advancements—but on future threats and changes whether environmental, geographical, cultural, or social.

The Gallery at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) will bring to the public an exhibition titled ‘Futurisms’, from March 7 to April 9, 2022, alongwith Tasmeem.

On March 8, 2022 an online panel discussion between the artists Jasmine Murrell, Saba Taj, Alisha Wormsley, Saks Afridi, and the artist collective, ‘Hyphen Labs’, where participants will ‘initiate a conversation between Afrofuturism, Sci-fi Sufism, and Muslim Futures’ is an interesting discussion to sign up for. The discussion will be moderated by Ingrid LaFleur, a globally recognised curator, artist, activist and Afrofuturist who is also the curator of Futurism.

A line-up of renowned international designers, artists, academics, researchers and industry professionals will deliver masterclasses, lectures, and conduct workshops on both broad and specialised topics.

From the opening keynote talk by Eyal Weizman, the founding director of Forensic Architecture and Professor of Spatial and Visual Cultures at Goldsmiths, University of London, to masterclasses in Arabic typography and workshops in reusing plastics by Thomas Egoumenides, a French architect and designer based in Tunisia, founder of multidisciplinary design workshop Flaÿou who specialises in conscious design and upcycling, the design festival intends to bring the best of the design fraternity to Doha.

Tasmeem Doha, which was first held in 2004, has been pivotal in shaping the design thoughts of the new generation of professionals in the country as well as being inspirational for the design-loving community of Doha through stories of design thinking as practised by renowned consultants from around the world who were part of earlier talks.  The latest conference, titled Tasmeem Doha 2022: Radical Futures, which will be held from March 7-10 is open to members of the public through virtual events by registering online at https://radicalfutures.qatar.vcu.edu/

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.

Previous editions attracted regional and international media, giving presenters such as Sir David Adjaye Obe, Julia Leeb, Rem Koolhaas, and Marco Williams.

At the core of the latest conference are the ‘Four Axes’. These four axes are inspired by human-constructed entities such as governments, nations, and ministries. The organizers combined these dogmatic or established labels with playful and unusual concepts to create unexpected combinations, such as ‘The Ministry of Matters’, ‘The State of Change’, ‘The Institute of Speculation’, and ‘The Department of Disinformation’.

Some of this year’s themes include but are not limited to inclusion, post colonialism, indigenous knowledge, language, geology, energy systems, environment, sustainability, smart materials, circular economies, curatorial activism, biotechnology, and augmented realities, according to the directors of Tasmeem 2022.

A line-up of renowned international designers, artists, academics, researchers and industry professionals will deliver masterclasses, lectures, and conduct workshops on both broad and specialised topics.

This year’s list of speakers and workshop leaders includes renowned creatives such as Liam Young, Mohamed ElShahed, Julia Watson, Paolo Cardini, Jalila Essaidi, Pinar Yoldas, and design studios such as Parsons and Charlesworth, Territorial Agency, and Design Earth, to name a few.

The Directors of Tasmeem Doha 2022: Radical Futures are VCUarts Qatar faculty members Basma W Hamdy, Diane C. Derr, PhD, Maysaa Al-Mumin and former member of faculty Denielle Emans, PhD.