Creative industry leaders and trailblazers in Qatar and from across the globe will gather in Doha from 25 to 31 March for the latest edition of #QatarCreates – a dynamic national movement that promotes and celebrates Qatar’s diverse cultural scene and boosts the creative economy through the exchange, dialogue and collaboration in the fields of art, architecture, fashion, design, and digital culture.
M7, the creative hub in Msheireb Downtown Doha, will serve as the epicentre of programming for #QatarCreates.
Qatar Museums Chairperson HE Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, said they are excited for #QatarCreates to be headquartered at M7, where creativity, design, and collaboration are celebrated year-round by Qatar’s thriving artistic community.
We hope that these #QatarCreates activities will not only inspire and support innovators, both locally and globally, but that they will be enjoyed by the public and all who visit Qatar in the coming weeks and months.
She said that #QatarCreates is about showcasing the best of Qatar to the world and inviting the best of the world to share their work with Qatar. This mutual exchange lays the foundation for a stronger and more sustainable cultural infrastructure for future generations.
Globalise the local, localise the global
#QatarCreates serves to globalise the local and localise the global, create local capacity development and knowledge transfer opportunities, support the growth of Qatar’s creative economy, and enhance audience experience. For the first time, #QatarCreates will host two editions in a year – March and October 2022.
The week-long #QatarCreates celebration in March will also coincide with the 20th edition of the Doha Forum and the Africa Business Forum, where thought leaders and policymakers will engage in constructive debate and explore solutions to some of the world’s most pressing matters.
#QatarCreates includes a full roster of events, new cultural offerings and dialogue, with the official opening of the 3-2-1 Qatar and Olympic Sports Museum at the Khalifa Stadium on 31 March taking centre stage.
3-2-1, which will become the newest member of the Olympic Museums Network, is one of the world’s largest and most innovative and technologically advanced museums dedicated to sports. Designed by Spanish architect Joan Sibina, the museum is a testament to Qatar’s commitment to building a healthier and more active population, a key component of the Qatar National Vision 2030.
The museum presents unique exhibits and a remarkable collection that highlights the role of sports in cultural development by exploring the history and contemporary significance of the Olympic Games, stories of sporting heroes from around the world, as well as the inspiring development of sports in Qatar. The collection also examines the massive impact that mega sporting events hosted by Qatar have made in recent decades.
#QatarCreates Events
In addition to the opening of the 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum, highlights of this edition’s #QatarCreates include:
- Opening of the Liwan Design Studios and Labs on 29 March, a unique space committed to supporting and connecting Qatar’s burgeoning creative community. Located in a historic mid-century building in Msheireb Downtown Doha that served as Qatar’s first recognised school for girls, Liwan Design Studios and Labs provides a multifunctional co-working and learning environment for creatives to experiment, collaborate, network and test the boundaries of design.
- RoGUILTLESSPLASTIC exhibition, featuring over 200 works and design projects created using plastic waste material, at M7. This international project conceived by renowned Italian curator and gallerist Rossana Orlandi and her daughter Nicoletta Orlandi Brugnoni is being presented for the first time in the Middle East. The special exhibition showcases the works of designers from across the globe who are invited to reuse, recycle and upcycle different kinds of waste material.
- New exhibitions on view at the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ) include Your Brain You, My Brain Me, on view from 21 March through 20 December 2022. The first museum installation in the Middle East by internationally renowned Swiss artist Pipilotti Rist is a large-scale, immersive video installation inviting visitors to embark on a journey of self-discovery through a multisensory experience that inspires introspection and awe. From 29 March, NMoQ will also present a car exhibition featuring Qatar’s historical and customised car collections.
As part of #QatarCreates, the public is invited to participate in several tours, workshops and discussions being held across Doha. These include a mini-workshop series at Cutting Studios (26 March), where participants can repurpose their unwanted items of clothing, including a merchandise Meet & Greet with Temsa7 & RealSelf.
A RO Plastic Prize information session will be held at M7, where participants can learn more about the international award and the requirements to qualify for entry and the Tasweer talk at M7 Sky Theatre.
The Daradasha Empowering Communities in the Creative Industries panel discussion on 29 March invites the public to contribute to a talk on the role of Qatar’s creative hubs in achieving the nation’s objectives.
In addition, Qatar Museums’ Culture Pass is leading curated tours of M7, Qatar Preparatory School (QPS), Fire Station, CP Club and Liwan Design Studios and Labs as part of its annual Marchitecture programme that invites Culture Pass Plus & Culture Pass Family members to explore Qatar’s striking architectural marvels throughout the month of March.
For more information on this month’s #QatarCreates events, visit qm.org.qa. To learn more about Culture Pass membership and how to become a member, check out this link.
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