Showcasing the creative streak of the young and upcoming artistic and innovative minds, the annual end-of-the-term works’ exhibition by the graduates of Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar (VCUQatar) once again dazzles its audience with its ingenuity. 
The students of Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree (BFA) and Master of Fine Arts Degree (MFA) programmes in the fields of graphic, interior, fashion design, and painting and printmaking showcased their final works to a large audience here recently at the BFA-MFA Exhibition.
More than 60 students from both programmes are participating in the exhibit, with each one of them putting up one project. The works on display are a result of four years of studying, researching, debating, and designing by the students.
“From my point of view I think it is important for the students to showcase their work to the public. This exhibition is like a celebration of the end of your studies period,” Isabelle St-Louis, Manager of Exhibitions and Lectures at VCUQatar, tells Community.
“The entire process of putting up an exhibition is another way of learning how to present your works, how to catch the eye of a visitor and for some it also means how to catch a prospective client,” she adds. 
It also provides, says Isabelle, the students a chance to see what their colleagues in the other departments do. “When I came here to see this exhibition last year as a visitor I was amazed to see such creativity in Qatar,” she recalls.  
Najoud Alkhal, BFA Interior Design student, has created the designs of Therapeutic Spa with a healing environment. It is consists of three floors. The first floor has the main pool area. After entering the first floor and changing robes, people can go upstairs to the second floor which has the treatment and physiotherapy rooms.
“My target audience is the people who need to get relaxation, distress and get therapy exercises. The third floor has the tanning area and it is covered with Mashrabia. There is healthy bar and place where people can absorb Vitamin D from natural light,” Alkhal tells Community. 
“We have this issue in Doha where there are not many spaces available for females to tan. And we are trying to tackle that issue. I have also added a Majlis area on the first floor because I wanted to implement something that you get in Qatari houses,” she adds. 
Her building is surrounded with arches through which she wanted to underscore the cultural influences. Her building is a residential building. It is a house and she took that structure because she wanted the spa to be a very home-like environment. 
Barbara Charrue, MFA in Design student, researches and investigates into public art in order to enhance and promote its development through her project ‘Everywhere and Nowhere: Public art intervention in Qatar.’ 
“Instead of bringing famous artists from abroad and commissioning public artworks that are massive and monumental, the objective of this research is to encourage social interaction between communities and local artists through participatory public art projects,” says Charrue. 
Nesma Khodier, MFA in Design student, deals with the ‘Future of Arab Music: No Sould without Silence’ in her project comprising traditional Arab music instrument such as Qanun and Oudh, supported with sensors that detect hand gestures to operate them. 
“This thesis serves as an introduction to generative methods of music production; specifically music generated through gestures. Through generative music and its unique ability to map individual gestures, music can be produced using computerised algorithms,” says Khodier.
The outcome of her thesis, she says, aims to demystify the intricacies of recent technological advancements to enable the musician and the audience to incorporate responsive technologies into their ensembles. 
The Fashion Design BFA students have put up a colourful showcase of collections. Some of the designs from the Fashion Designs exhibited their collections at the recent Fashion Show called Reach, organised by VCUQatar at Salam Mall last month.
Using the aesthetics of aquatic elements, Kiara Hodge, a BFA Fashion Design student, presents her collection ‘Death of the Mermaid.’ It portrays how the mermaid is affected by the world’s pollutants, sewages and toxins that are eventually unleashed into the ocean. 
The emotional colour palate ranges from bright blues, purples and greens to deep blues, salmon and black representing the struggle of living freely and safely in the ocean. 
“In this collection, I have combined an environmental message which brings together the concept of fantasy to reality. I have chosen to hand-paint some garments using ink which gives more depth to the vibrant water colour effect,” says Hodge. 
As a fashion designer, she says, her desire is to create designs coupled with her distinctive style. “I choose to promote self-confidence and comfortability. Each design will encourage individuality as well as the freedom to be who you truly are,” says the student designer.
The Painting and Printmaking BFA students have also come up with unique concepts and stimulating investigations into different socio-political aspects. 
Fatima Mohammed, a Painting and Printmaking BFA student, presents 3naj (Anaj). Mohammed describes the character as “my partner and muse, a partner of the Imperialist West and the Arabian Gulf.” 
She is half American bald eagle and half Khaleeji. The female eagle builds her nest, feeds her children, teaches them how to fly and be free. 3naj wears her heritage proudly. She wears the lost batoola (face mask) as a protective golden beak. 
“She does not have wings because she is not worried. Without wings she cannot retreat or fly away. 3naj must stand her ground and speak her mind in an attempt to create change in the place she is living,” says Mohammed. 
The artist says in an attempt to reflect on her surrounding and herself, she produces her own material with objects from her personal life. “Like an alchemist, I create home-made ink form a medicine that is meant to cure back ailment. I extract the purple pigment from the Batoola that 3naj wears. With these materials, I create my artworks,” says Mohammed.
The VCUQatar BFA-MFA Exhibition is being showcased at the Gallery and Room 390 at the university. Entry to the exhibition is free and open to the public. It will remain open until May 21 for the BFA exhibition at Room 390 and May 28 for the MFA exhibition at the Gallery.


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