Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar’s (VCUarts Qatar) has announced a series of podcasts as part of the curtain raiser to the next edition of Tasmeem Doha design conference. This four-part series will be followed by another podcast series that will focus on specifics of the Tasmeem Doha 2024 conference that will be held in Qatar from March 2 to 5. The theme for the 2024 conference is “Under Construction.”
VCUarts Qatar is once again partnering with afikra on the development of the podcasts alongside Tasmeem Doha. VCUarts Qatar regularly collaborates with afikra, a grassroots movement that evolved into a global media and educational platform focused on the histories and cultures of the Arab world.
Four 30-minute podcasts will be available on YouTube, with the first taking place recently. They feature interviews with past Tasmeem Doha organisers, chairs, and directors.
The conversations delve into the origins, the memories and the connections the conference has to them, the University and Qatar, and how the event evolved to become one of the most prestigious design conferences in the region.
The podcasts are especially interesting in that they reveal how the factors and nuances that made Tasmeem Doha what it is today are an extension of the ethos that drives the 25-year-old University – visionary, inspiring and ahead of its time. “When Tasmeem was created, ‘Design’ still felt unfamiliar, so we thought it would be a great contribution to position VCUarts Qatar within the stream of the development of design and the creative industries and to set up a platform of sorts where a myriad of voices could discuss and demonstrate what might be involved when we say ‘Design’,” said Peter Martin, assistant professor of Graphic Design at VCUQ, and former Tasmeem Doha organiser.
Tasmeem Doha is an international, biennial art and design conference hosted and organised by VCUarts Qatar since 2004. Each edition of Tasmeem Doha highlights a unique and contemporary theme within art and design, exploring novel concepts, methods and applications through masterclasses, discussions and workshops led by pioneers and renowned specialists in various fields.
Peter Martin