The Qatar America Institute for Culture (QAIC) presents its first exhibition on its 2023 roster, Research Labs, a show featuring groundbreaking projects from eleven teams of faculty, students, and alumni from VCUarts Qatar. Organized in partnership with VCUarts Qatar. The exhibition highlights a cross-section of collaborative research and ongoing activities within the faculty-led Research Labs, housed at the Institute for Creative Research at VCUarts Qatar in Doha.
Projects exploring Arabic and cultural typography, emerging technology, nanotechnology and textiles, sound design and more are featured in Research Labs. Together, these showcase the iterative explorations and areas of inquiry undertaken by the diverse teams including the research labs, Art Law Lab, Water With Water, TypeAraby, and xLab.
Highlights include two culturally-informed products developed by the Boost Lab—Seed Pod Mini: Evolution, and Gorgeous. These serve as a launchpad for innovative products bridging the gap between creative conception and commercial activation. There is a limited-edition vinyl album featuring 21 avant-pop tracks produced by Sonic Jeel, a collaborative investigating sound, noise, electronic music, and audiovisual media within the context of Qatar and the Gulf region.
This exhibition kicks off QAIC’s year-long focus on the intersection between technology and the arts, and QAIC’s participation in the Dupont Circle BID’s Third Thursday Artwalk. The exhibition was previously on view at The Anderson on the VCU campus, and will be on view at QAIC through early August.
The exhibition is open to the public during each Third Thursday from 5:00 to 8:00 PM. Click here to schedule an appointment. Visit qataramerica.org for more information.
Research Labs at QAIC is organized by VCUarts Qatar and the Anderson at VCUarts Richmond and is generously supported in part by the Embassy of the State of Qatar in the United States.
About Research Labs at VCUarts Qatar:
The Research Labs comprise collaborative teams of faculty, students and alumni, pursuing a territory of inquiry through iterative explorations housed within the Institute for Creative Research at VCUarts Qatar. The labs are rooted in a broad and diverse spectrum of domains, cultivate meaningful contributions in the community, the classroom, and wider discourse. They support experiential student learning opportunities, engage in partnerships with local industries, foster collaborations with Qatar Foundation, and the VCU Monroe Park and Medical campuses, and contribute to the advancement of research in Qatar.
About QAIC:
The Qatar America Institute for Culture (QAIC) is a Washington, DC-based independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that creates, curates, and executes programs and research that amplify the prominence of all forms of art and culture from the United States, Qatar, and the larger Arab and Islamic worlds.
Lead image: A moment from Research Labs at The Anderson last September. The exhibit can now be viewed at The Qatar American Institute for Culture through August 2023.