Shining Light on Nada Elkharashi

Nada Elkharashi is quite the star, literally and metaphorically. A VCUarts Qatar BFA in Interior Design and MFA in Design graduate, Nada emerged as a finalist in the 16th edition of Stars of Science – a remarkable feat given that she is also the first VCUarts Qatar graduate to participate in the competition. She is also one of the nine talented craft-makers from Qatar and Morocco, part of the Crafting Design Futures exchange programme during the Qatar-Morocco 2024 Year of Culture for Doha Design Biennial. 

What is admirable is the range of ingenuity that Nada Elkharashi is blessed with. While she has created a piece of art/design that has a story that connects the countries of Qatar and Morocco for the Years of Culture initiative, for the Stars of Science programme, she pitched a project titled ‘BioVolt’ to the jury. BioVolt generates electricity from air humidity using bacterial nanowires. The connecting point of both her design solutions seem to centre on water crisis management.

But Nada does not view this as “achievements” rather as a “pursuit for the meaningful”.

“It’s about سعي(seeking/pursuit), that’s what I call it in Arabic. It’s this constant pursuit of what feels meaningful, and that’s what drives me,” says Nada, who was also the first designer from Qatar whose work won the third prize for the category “Urban & Public Design” of Ro Plastic Prize 2022, during Milan Design Week 2022.

66KM at Crafting Design Futures Exhibition

Nada calls herself an inter-disciplinary research designer.

“I like to call myself a research designer because I like to hybrid between different disciplines and observation and then work on putting them together,” she says when we met her at the Crafting Design Futures exhibition.

Nada’s work is part of Crafting Design Futures exhibition by Design Doha, in collaboration with the Years of Culture initiative, which was unveiled at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA). Nada’s work along with those of eight other designers are on display at the 4th floor Temporary Exhibition Gallery of MIA from 1 December to 30 December 2024.

Nada’s wok titled 66km incorporates Moroccan silk textiles threaded with LED bulbs, atop a rock sourced from Qatar. This work explores alternative natural resources, drawing inspiration from resourcefulness observed in Moroccan traditions.

“On our way from Casablanca to Rabat, during the tour of Morocco, I noticed a huge water pipe that was 66kms long, running between these two cities. This pipe supplies water to the water scarce areas of Rabat where it has not rained for over six years,” she says.

The designer in Nada was concerned and she set out to solve the water scarcity by design thinking while keeping in mind that the solution also needs to be a collectible piece that will be on display. She researched about natural materials found around Morocco and chanced upon Cactus Silk. Cactus silk is a plant-based cactus that is hydrophilic, it retains the moisture from the air and turns it into water. It also gives out a fibre that turns into a beautiful silk. And thus, Nada finds her solution, the porous limestone found in Qatar that absorbs moisture and the silk that condenses it into water are used dexterously to create a piece of functional art piece that can even be placed within spaces as a light source or used for its qualities as a water creator in open spaces.

The Star of Science

For the Stars of Science event, Nada pitched a project titled ‘BioVolt’ to the jury. BioVolt generates electricity from air humidity using bacterial nanowires. This self-powering, wearable biomaterial holds the promise of providing sustainable energy to underserved communities. BioVolt evolved from ‘Electric Skin’, a project that Nada, has been working on with researchers Catherine Euale (Venezuelan-Italian, based in Mexico), Sequoia Fischer (US) and Paige Perillat-Piratoine (France) since 2021.

Nada talks about her experience – and emotions – on participating, making it to the finale, and then being placing third on the popular Arabic edutainment show, even while she was preparing for the Design Doha Biennale and Crafting Design Future exhibition.

SCALE: From a foundation year student at VCUarts Qatar to reaching the top three on Stars of Science, you’ve made quite the journey. Has it sunk in yet – that you’ve achieved what no other VCUarts Qatar graduate or a designer from Qatar has achieved: reaching the grand finale of one of the region’s most popular science and innovation shows?

Nada: Just reading that question is making me tear up! No, it has not sunk in at all—not even a little! Maybe because I don’t really see this as an “achievement” in the typical sense. It’s more like I’ve always been following what I enjoy doing. I’ve never approached my major or my work as a job, but rather as an expression of who I am and who I want to be, and what I want to gain from life.

So even now, having made it to the top three of Stars of Science, it feels like I’m just following the flow of my life and this different channel that brought me here, following my curiosity, challenging myself, and learning along the way. I think that’s why it hasn’t fully hit me yet. For me, it’s never been about “achieving” something. It’s about سعي(seeking/pursuit), that’s what I call it in Arabic. It’s this constant pursuit of what feels meaningful, and that’s what drives me.

SCALE: Your project BioVolt evolved from your research titled Electric Skin. Once you were accepted into Stars of Science, how did the research progress?

Nada: Our mindset changed when I pitched our project to the judges, and they appreciated it – that was a huge turning point for us all. Catherine even travelled to the States to meet with Sequoia, collect the proteins necessary to advance the research, and then travel to Qatar. Together, we worked through an almost impossible amount of work in such a short time.

Before Stars of Science, our technology could generate 0.7 volts from a tiny 0.5 by 0.5 cm piece. During the show, we managed to scale that up to generate 8 volts! And not only that—we were able to store the energy and even operate a device with it. It felt like a miracle, honestly. And a huge leap in terms of progress.

SCALE: What has been your learning process through all these events?

Nada: For the Stars of Science programme, I had to juggle technology and design with strategy and business. It was a long and tiring process, but it was worth it.

Every day was a learning experience, even though I was juggling my other design projects simultaneously. For instance, my projects were part of the Design Doha Biennale, and the Korean Gwangju Biennale held this year. It wasn’t easy, but it was enjoyable. I was juggling different hats and living different lives, but I loved it.

SCALE:  How was the experience of being mentored by your former professor at VCUarts Qatar, Dr. Khaled for the programme? What was that like?

Nada: It was surreal, honestly! Dr. Khaled taught me a class on ‘energy’ back in 2014, and now in 2024, exactly 10 years apart, here we were literally creating energy. It’s wild how life comes full circle. I never imagined I’d be working with him again, especially in this way.

Having him as my mentor during Stars of Science felt comforting. Seeing someone familiar brought a sense of calm and reassurance. I could tell from the way he looked at me that he was proud, and that meant so much. When I heard his report on TV, it made me so happy to hear him talk about Electric Skin’s achievements from such an academic perspective. It felt like we were actually getting a step closer to making real change.

SCALE: You studied a BFA and then an MFA at VCUarts Qatar. How did that influence your course of life?

Nada: Both degrees shaped me in different ways, but my MFA had a direct impact on Electric Skin. The independent course I took during my MFA program was really what opened things up for me. It gave me the freedom to dive into something new: bio-design, on my own terms. If it wasn’t for that space to explore bio-design independently, I don’t think I would’ve had the curiosity to go searching for bio-design competitions, and that’s how I met the rest of the Electric Skin team. That freedom to learn in an academic setting was key.

And, of course, the hands-on fabrication skills I learned at VCUarts Qatar were super helpful when it came to the BioVolt project. We faced a setback during the project development phase of Stars of Science when a printer we needed broke down. We had to do everything by hand. I ended up silk-screening electrodes, laser-cutting moulds, soldering—all the skills I’d picked up at university. So, it was a mix of creative freedom and technical skills that I picked up at VCUarts Qatar that really helped me push the project forward.

SCALE:  Do you have any thoughts you’d like to share with others, students and designers, who aspire to walk in your footsteps

Nada: Looking back at my journey, I realize that feeling a bit lost or unsure can be helpful. If I had known exactly what I wanted to do, I wouldn’t have explored or been curious. So, my advice would be: don’t be afraid of the unknown or of feeling undirected. It’s okay, and sometimes it’s what leads you to discover new things.

Also, be patient with the process. I still remind myself of that all the time. Be kind and patient with yourself too.

And one more thing: try to blend different disciplines. Connect different fields and ideas because that’s where some of the most interesting and unexpected work happens. It’s not always about staying in one lane; sometimes, it’s about seeing what happens when you combine different ones.

(The Q and A content is Courtesy VCUarts Qatar, Images of Stars of Science, Courtesy Stars of Science)