Tasmeem Doha 2024’s theme is “Under Construction”. Richard Lombard, the conference’s curator for this year, joins us to dive into the theme and understand the creative and logistical realities of putting a conference like this together, and which audience he has in mind when planning.
Through the conversation, Richard shares various experiences of Tasmeem Doha over the years and how each iteration has been the unique brainchild of the individual curator. We ask him what he expects from this year’s Tasmeem Doha, and he shares his hopes that attendees walk away enriched and empowered by understanding their place within the broader creative community.
0:00 Introduction
0:46 Richard’s involvement in Tasmeem Doha over the decades
2:50 Curating this year’s Tasmeem Doha “Under Construction”
9:18 What to expect from this year’s conference and who the main audience is
18:30 Long-term impacts of Tasmeem Doha
25:58 Anticipating Tasmeem Doha 2024 and classifying it as a conference
31:02 Partnerships that make Tasmeem Doha possible
Richard Lombard is a materials specialist with experience in Art, Design, and Education. He taught for six years at VCUarts Qatar as an assistant, then associate professor in the MFA.DESIGN program. During his time there he also created and worked as the curator of the Materials Library. He now works as a Curatorial Consultant to Qatar Museums.
Tasmeem Doha is a biennial international conference that focuses on unique and contemporary themes in art and design. For 2024, the theme of the event is “Under Construction”, which is both a metaphor for creative research as well as a celebration and investigation of transformation. It is also a state that Doha has found itself in for decades: a transformation that has presented an outsized impact on the residents of the city.
Under Construction will also explore the past, present and future of VCUarts Qatar’s flagship event Tasmeem Doha. As part of the 25th anniversary of VCUart Qatar’s campus in Doha, the event will bring together voices from the past, present and future of various disciplines involved in this cycle of rethinking and remaking.
THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK
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