Promotion: a kinetic air-cleaning sculpture and research project reimagining traditional Qatari stone are among the projects featured in the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts‘ exhibition at this year’s London Design Biennale.
Named Matter Diplopia, the exhibition is Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts’ (VCUarts Qatar) first show at the London Design Biennale, which intends to showcase the current architectural discourse in Qatar as a place where “natural landscapes meet rapid modernisation”.
The exhibition at London’s Somerset House includes nine projects that explore “double vision” as a metaphor for seeing through multiple cultural and material lenses.
The show aims to open up a dialogue to discuss how “heritage, materiality and innovation collide” to reflect on how Qatar’s identity is evolving as local traditions and global influences intertwine.
On show is Chrysalis, an air-cleaning sculpture described as a “breathing system” alongside El Zaffah, a project exploring Arab wedding traditions through immersive audiovisual storytelling.
Furniture collection Stone Plus reimagines uses for traditional Qatari stone, while Dubdoubt is a multisensory installation that examines cultural appropriation through “sonic and tactile engagement”.
Also exhibited are artworks informed by traditional Palestinian embroidery named Tatreez Unbroken, which aim to embody the “spirit and resistance of displaced women from Gaza”, and Greener Greenhouse Goes GMT, a bamboo structure built in Kenya using locally sourced materials.
The final research projects, Nature’s Alchemy, Dunes and Dugongs and Discursive Instrumentation of Urban Rhythms, each explore nature’s complexity and centrality, climate change awareness and urban soundscapes.
“Qatar is a place of rapid and evolving development; it is a unique space to explore a duality of material and culture,” said Amir Berbić, dean of VCUarts Qatar.
“In a nation where ancient landscapes meet rapid modernisation, Matter Diplopia is a collective act of creative production, unfolding through nine projects co-created by faculty, alumni, and students of VCUarts Qatar.”
“We are proud to bring this work to the international stage for the first time, and to share how design can generate new forms of cultural dialogue, innovation, and exchange,” Berbić continued.
The show is part of the London Design Biennale’s fifth edition, which is centred around Surface Reflections. Each pavilion at the event aims to bring a distinctive, radical or hyper-local point of view to London’s Somerset House.
VCUarts Qatar explained that its involvement at the biennale represents its growing international profile as a leader in interdisciplinary art and design education, cultural research and innovation.
“VCUarts Qatar’s presence at the London Design Biennale exemplifies how design-led research and innovation can offer bold, globally resonant responses to the challenges of our time,” said VCUarts Qatar associate dean of research Diane Derr.
“The nine projects we present reflect a diverse spectrum of inquiry, each one a testament to the power of creative collaboration and critical thinking.”
VCUarts Qatar is the overseas campus of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Richmond, Virginia, USA
The university offers students the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in kinetic imaging, graphic design, interior design, painting and printmaking, and art history and a Master of Fine Arts degree in design.
To learn more about the exhibition, visit the university’s website.
Matter Diplopia held at 2025 London Design Biennale is on show at London’s Somerset House from 5-29 June 2025. For more information about events, exhibitions and talks, visit Dezeen Events Guide.
Partnership content
This article was written by Dezeen for VCUarts Qatar as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.
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