Collaborating with the Years of Culture initiative, Design Doha presents Crafting Design Futures, an exhibition at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA). Displaying the innovative works of nine Qatari and Moroccan creatives, the show stems from the Crafting Design Futures exchange programme, part of the Qatar-Morocco 2024 Year of Culture. The exhibition will be open to the public until 11 January 2025.
Among the notable exhibits is Doha-based designer Nada Elkharashi‘s 66km. This project was inspired by a Moroccan guide’s story about a 66 km-long water pipeline that connects two cities to provide essential water resources. Reflecting on the interplay between air, water, and natural materials, Elkharashi reimagines the pipeline as a symbol of how we can learn from nature and each other to create sustainable solutions. The 66km work, which incorporates Moroccan silk textiles, LED bulbs, and a rock from Qatar, forms a conceptual design aimed at capturing and recycling water from air humidity and underscores the significance of integrating sustainability into daily life.
Reema Abu Hassan, a Palestinian-Canadian architect and designer based in Doha, exhibits Zellige Library, a modern reinterpretation of Morocco’s art of zellige (mosaic tilework). In this series of 3D artefacts, inspired by zellige libraries, which preserve and pass down the craft to future generations, Abu Hassan uses locally sourced Qatari clay combined with stone to pay tribute to Moroccan architecture.
Moroccan artist Amine Asselman also redefines the boundaries of zellige in her Crystalline. This intricate structure is composed of 20,000 pieces, forming dynamic 3D shapes that evoke natural crystal formations. By liberating zellige from its conventional mural format, Crystalline celebrates the sacred geometry inherent in Islamic architectural traditions and offers a fresh perspective on this ancient art form.
Dis-orient(al) by Majdulin Nasrallah, a Doha-based interdisciplinary designer, is a hand-knotted Moroccan rug that harmoniously blends tatreez (traditional Palestinian embroidery) with architectural motifs. Nasrallah has produced the rug together with Moroccan female weavers and Beni Rugs.
Qatari designer Abdulrahman Al Muftah contributes Tornado Shelves, hand-carved wooden structures resembling the motion of sandstorms in Qatar and Morocco. The work, created in collaboration with Moroccan wood artist Hamza Kadiri, reflects Al Muftah’s fascination with natural heritage. Meanwhile, Kadiri’s creation, Resilience in Destruction, uses charcoal, bronze, and wood to symbolise destruction, resilience, and hope in the face of global challenges.
French artist Sara Ouhaddou revives Moroccan glassblowing with Arrous Anzar, a work that comprises 30 colourful glass vessels and is inspired by Islamic glass artefacts she discovered at MIA. Created in collaboration with artisans, the work is complemented by historical pieces from MIA’s collection.
Morocco-born artist Bouchra Boudoua, whose practice is informed by her Amazigh heritage and the beautiful landscapes of rural Morocco, showcases TRIBU. This installation featuring three ceramic totems narrates stories rooted in Morocco’s cultural identity and connection to the earth.
Saboura, an installation of earth and wool by Moroccan artist Amine El Gotaibi, pays tribute to Qatar’s female education history. In addition, Al-Dohaiyat: A Labyrinth of Enlightenment, El Gotaibi’s sculpture from earth sourced at Heenat Salma Farm in Doha, will be exhibited in the MIA courtyard. This piece allows one to delve into the Qatari landscape, celebrating its history of female cultural leadership.
To learn more about Crafting Design Futures, please go to the official web page of the show.
Additionally, you might be interested in visiting AIR 8: A House Overlooking the World, a group exhibition at M7. We also recommend that you read our article about three sustainable designers from the Middle East.
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