Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar), a Qatar Foundation (QF) partner university, has concluded the ninth edition of the Hamad Bin Khalifa Symposium on Islamic Art.
This year’s theme, ‘The Environment and Ecology in Islamic Art and Culture’ attracted over 800 registrants from across the world for the online event that took place from November 8 to 15.
On the first day, Amir Berbi?, dean, VCUarts Qatar, and Carmenita Higginbotham, dean, Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts (VCUarts), Richmond, addressed the online audience.
Dean Berbi? explained the symposium will cover topics that demonstrate just how pragmatic previous generations were in their thoughtful incorporation of eco-conscious materials and crafting of environmentally-sensitive designs.
"Voices from diverse disciplines will show how current ecological disasters inform contemporary aesthetics that raise public awareness of the crisis -- the sheer range of subjects promises to spark everyone’s intellectual curiosity.”
Dean Berbi? also noted how the symposium’s virtual presence, though necessitated by the travel precautions imposed by the pandemic, ended up complementing the theme.
“While the continuing uncertainties of the pandemic have made us forgo the in-person vibrancy Islamic Art Symposium brings to our campus here in Doha, I’m heartened that the decision has helped us reduce its carbon footprint and expand its reach. We have participants, panel organisers, paper presenters, and fellows with us, virtually, from all over the world,” he said.
This edition’s chairs were VCUarts Qatar faculty members Dr Radha Dalal, interim director of art history, associate professor of Islamic Art, Jochen Sokoly, associate professor of Islamic Art, and Sean Roberts, lecturer in early modern art at the University of Tennessee, and affiliated associate professor at VCUarts Qatar.
Since it was first held in 2004, each edition of the Hamad bin Khalifa Symposium on Islamic Art has addressed significant themes and issues in understanding the visual arts of the Islamic lands. The symposium is co-sponsored by Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VCUarts Qatar, and QF.
Dean Berbi? explained the symposium will cover topics that demonstrate just how pragmatic previous generations were in their thoughtful incorporation of eco-conscious materials and crafting of environmentally-sensitive designs.
"Voices from diverse disciplines will show how current ecological disasters inform contemporary aesthetics that raise public awareness of the crisis -- the sheer range of subjects promises to spark everyone’s intellectual curiosity.”
Dean Berbi? also noted how the symposium’s virtual presence, though necessitated by the travel precautions imposed by the pandemic, ended up complementing the theme.
“While the continuing uncertainties of the pandemic have made us forgo the in-person vibrancy Islamic Art Symposium brings to our campus here in Doha, I’m heartened that the decision has helped us reduce its carbon footprint and expand its reach. We have participants, panel organisers, paper presenters, and fellows with us, virtually, from all over the world,” he said.
This edition’s chairs were VCUarts Qatar faculty members Dr Radha Dalal, interim director of art history, associate professor of Islamic Art, Jochen Sokoly, associate professor of Islamic Art, and Sean Roberts, lecturer in early modern art at the University of Tennessee, and affiliated associate professor at VCUarts Qatar.
Since it was first held in 2004, each edition of the Hamad bin Khalifa Symposium on Islamic Art has addressed significant themes and issues in understanding the visual arts of the Islamic lands. The symposium is co-sponsored by Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VCUarts Qatar, and QF.
