For this edition of Tasmeem, we will feature a number of short films that are either the result of Tasmeem Workshops of the past – and present – or speak to the theme of Under Construction. These will be shown on the large screen in the Atrium, as well as the smaller screens in the Project Spaces in the Saffron Hall, during the course of the afternoon.
Hybrid Making Workshop Videos:
2013 saw the ascension of The Workshop to premiere status at Tasmeem. There were about two dozen of them – half for the students, and the other half for the faculty – and they took over both the school and Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art. One of the student labs – Lab Mike – was created to teach the students how to document the other labs, and the 12 “Lab” films in the loop are the product of their efforts.
Run by Simone Muscolino, the videography teams from Lab Mike include: Abir Zakzok, Hana Al Saadi, Maeda Al Haidar, Dana Chua, and Mahnoor Ansari; Habeeb Buftaim and Sara Ebrik; Sherin Karawia and Wurood Azzam; Dhika Khaira, Maryam Al Meraikhi and Omar Ezzeldeen; and Basra Bashir, Mark Bermejo and Noof Al Buainain.
3ajeeb! Workshop Videos:
In 2015, there were once again a plethora of labs – some 26 of them – but this time they were filmed by Doha-based studios The Film House. As any film maker knows, editing content down is the hardest, most time-consuming thing: where the student films are around five to six minutes, these films are only one minute. From robots to origami to ping pong, there was a workshop for every perspective. These films all begin with the identity from that year’s event – 3ajeeb!
Under Construction Workshop Videos:
Before running her workshop in Doha, VCU faculty member Jeannine Diego ran the program with her class in Richmond, VA. Students participating in “Body of Work: An Artist’s Statement” created short videos to express their vision of themselves; and two of those students – Lily Farris and Yan Shabazz – were selected to join Jeannine in Doha and help run the Tasmeem workshop. Their videos will serve as inspiration to both the running of the workshop, and the larger Tasmeem audience.
Chaos Antidote:
Through gorgeous superimposition, Hadeer Omar depicts the ever-changing urban landscape of Doha under construction. The city is dreamily contemplated in this wordless, wonderfully languid documentary essay. Images of cranes, rising towers and roadways in flux – constants in contemporary Doha’s personality – create a striking, dynamic collage that is reminiscent of a day’s wandering through Qatar’s crown city. As morning becomes daytime and sunset leads to night, order is made of chaos and a sense of peace is imposed on the frenetic pace of progress.
Voices from the Urbanscape:
In this short film by Shaima Al-Tamimi, visions of construction in contemporary Doha neatly express its nearly manic pace of growth, while various voices from the community express their sense of attachment and identity as a result of the city’s rapid urbanization. A sort of travelogue around Qatar’s capital in development, voices from the Urbanscape is a tribute to the diverse communities who contribute to build this country from the ground up, but yet to emotionally catch up with its growth.
