Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar), a Qatar Foundation partner, made its debut at the world-renowned Ars Electronica Festival 2023, in Linz, Austria, recently which invoked great participation from the visitors.
VCUarts Qatar had its presence alongside 55 other universities from across the globe in a dedicated space titled “Ars Electronica Campus Exhibition”.
The university’s individual exhibition was titled “Meta-Functions of Cultural Production” and featured a selection of 10 works produced by undergraduate and graduate students and student-faculty collaborations.
The works on display included Arabic typographic forms, nanotechnology for increased functionality in textiles, generative processes translating patterns to sound, usages of artificial intelligence datasets for blind contour drawings, prototyping for responsive architecture, and a visual exploration into the cultural conceptions of place.
The projects were “Preceding Emptiness: Alternative Arabic Typographic Technologies” by Levi Hammett, Mohamed Suleiman, Hind al-Saad and Fatima Abbas; “Simulated Fashion” by Hadeer Omar in collaboration with the University’s Art Foundation programme’s Time Studio; Ghayda Abduljalil’s “Fast Paced Life”; “Nanoabaya” by Noor Rashid Butt, Khaled Saoud and Christopher Fink; “Stitch by Stitch” by Naima Almajdobah; “Sacred Silence” by Basma Hamdy, Shima Aeinehdar and Selma Fejzullaj; “Electric Calligraphy” by Lana Abou Selo, Fatima Abbas and Levi Hammett; “Rays of Essence” by Hind al-Saad, Sara Khalid, Joshua Rodenberg and Fatima Abbas; “Transformative Distortions” by Jood Elbeshti; and Jameela AlHumaidi’s “Morphing Memories”.
The installations – at the intersection of art, design, culture, technology and new media – roused the curiosity of attendees, resulting in some “memorable” conversations between the VCUarts Qatar participants and visitors.
Jood Elbeshti, one of the participants, said, “Visitors often posed a variety of thought-provoking questions, ranging from inquiries about the technical aspects of my work to deeper explorations of its conceptual underpinnings. Some were curious about the materials and techniques I employed and wanted to understand the process behind my creations. Others delved into the symbolism and themes in my art, inquiring about the ideas that drove my creative choices. I had quite a few memorable discussions about the intricate facets of my project, fostering a deeper connection between my work and its audience.”