A casual visit to Souq Waqif aroused the curiosity of a student of a Qatar Foundation partner university about the authenticity of artefacts and helped her come out with a research project.
Can a handicraft or artefact be considered authentic to a country if it is not made using local materials and manpower, she wondered.
Asma Derouiche, a Master of Fine Art in Design student at Virginia Commonwealth University of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) was on one of her occasional trips to Souq Waqif in Doha a year ago. A Tunisian who hailed from a village renowned for its local artisans, she was at the little shops that sold Qatari artwork and crafts.
“These are 100% authentic Qatari art and craft,” she was told by the shopkeeper. Impressed, she enquired about the resources that were used to create it – only to learn that the raw materials used were not sourced from Qatar, nor was the artisan a Qatari.
“Growing up in Tunisia, I was used to a homogenous culture where the word ‘authentic’ was used to describe an object that was made by local artisans using local resources, and inspired by indigenous tradition and culture,” says Derouiche.
“What I saw in Souq Waqif puzzled me. I couldn’t understand how a handicraft or object could be called authentic to a country, unless most of the material and manpower involved were locally-sourced.”
Derouiche was so intrigued by this contradiction that she decided to follow up on it. At that point, as she made subsequent trips to Souq Waqif to gather further information and talk to more artisans and what started out simply as an urge to quell her curiosity, turned out into a research project.
After further visits and conversations with local artists, she realised that what she was exploring – the question of authenticity – was something that she would like to delve into for her Master’s thesis.
Derouiche began questioning shopkeepers and local and expatriate artisans on the subject that had piqued her interest.
Derouiche stumbled on another aspect that expatriate artisans in Souq Waqif, due to their specific work demands, did not have the sort of creative leeway that they had back in their respective countries, and often felt stifled. She thought of a way to fix this.
“In my conversations with Souq Waqif’s artisans, I sounded out the idea of teaming them up with designers from VCUarts Qatar to create Qatari artefacts,” explained, Derouiche.
“Likewise, I approached faculty in my university – who were designers themselves – and asked them if they would be willing to collaborate with these expatriate artisans. Much to my delight, both parties agreed.”
Derouiche wanted to build a sense of trust and understanding between them. “I designed a card game which would even out the participants and their roles,” she says. “As they played the game, which I named Silla - in Arabic, the word means ‘connection’ – they would be encouraged to collaborate with their partner, ensuring that both the artisans and the faculty were equal contributors in the process of design and manufacture of artefacts.”
“When I started out, I had no idea that my plan would run smoothly, and that I would enjoy it so much. I held a workshop for them, where we explored possibilities, and where they used the card game I designed to generate further ideas for authentic Qatari artefacts.”
“I joined VCUarts Qatar because I wanted to be authentic in every sense; I wanted to have my own style – my own approach to art and design. I never thought that I would end up accepting that authentic could mean embracing other cultures to preserve your own,” she added.
One of the artefacts in Souq Waqif bearing the label 100% Qatari product
Asma Derouiche, a Master of Fine Art in Design student at Virginia Commonwealth University of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) was on one of her occasional trips to Souq Waqif in Doha a year ago. A Tunisian who hailed from a village renowned for its local artisans, she was at the little shops that sold Qatari artwork and crafts.
“These are 100% authentic Qatari art and craft,” she was told by the shopkeeper. Impressed, she enquired about the resources that were used to create it – only to learn that the raw materials used were not sourced from Qatar, nor was the artisan a Qatari.
“Growing up in Tunisia, I was used to a homogenous culture where the word ‘authentic’ was used to describe an object that was made by local artisans using local resources, and inspired by indigenous tradition and culture,” says Derouiche.
“What I saw in Souq Waqif puzzled me. I couldn’t understand how a handicraft or object could be called authentic to a country, unless most of the material and manpower involved were locally-sourced.”
Derouiche was so intrigued by this contradiction that she decided to follow up on it. At that point, as she made subsequent trips to Souq Waqif to gather further information and talk to more artisans and what started out simply as an urge to quell her curiosity, turned out into a research project.
After further visits and conversations with local artists, she realised that what she was exploring – the question of authenticity – was something that she would like to delve into for her Master’s thesis.
Derouiche began questioning shopkeepers and local and expatriate artisans on the subject that had piqued her interest.
Derouiche stumbled on another aspect that expatriate artisans in Souq Waqif, due to their specific work demands, did not have the sort of creative leeway that they had back in their respective countries, and often felt stifled. She thought of a way to fix this.
“In my conversations with Souq Waqif’s artisans, I sounded out the idea of teaming them up with designers from VCUarts Qatar to create Qatari artefacts,” explained, Derouiche.
“Likewise, I approached faculty in my university – who were designers themselves – and asked them if they would be willing to collaborate with these expatriate artisans. Much to my delight, both parties agreed.”
Derouiche wanted to build a sense of trust and understanding between them. “I designed a card game which would even out the participants and their roles,” she says. “As they played the game, which I named Silla - in Arabic, the word means ‘connection’ – they would be encouraged to collaborate with their partner, ensuring that both the artisans and the faculty were equal contributors in the process of design and manufacture of artefacts.”
“When I started out, I had no idea that my plan would run smoothly, and that I would enjoy it so much. I held a workshop for them, where we explored possibilities, and where they used the card game I designed to generate further ideas for authentic Qatari artefacts.”
“I joined VCUarts Qatar because I wanted to be authentic in every sense; I wanted to have my own style – my own approach to art and design. I never thought that I would end up accepting that authentic could mean embracing other cultures to preserve your own,” she added.
