In the course of the modernization of Qatar, the need for camels has greatly diminished; herds have reduced in numbers and are now confined to enclosures. Overall, neglect of this valuable resource means that the camel is threatened with extinction. Currently, there is a need to address problems about sustainable development in Qatar by taking actions such as investing in the existing natural heritage to develop the use of indigenous animals like the camel. Through a review of past and present use of the native dromedary, a new type of sustainable agritourism will be developed that will provide a type of farm where visitors can learn about, and interact with, traditional animals. These farms will create a market for a range of camel products, thereby transforming the national symbol of the past into an icon of a sustainable future.

My search for creative inspiration often leads to explorations in natural and built environments. Being physically immersed in an environment offers endless vantage points, as well as points of focus; allowing all senses to function as receptors of surrounding data. Observations stimulate thoughts and ideas, which inspire experiments. Projects are born, sometimes out of the smallest details. In a series of projects I explore the possibilities of using physical environments as primary source of inspiration and input in the creation of tools that function in design contexts.

Hospitals can no longer be thought of as simply healing machines--they are healing organisms. It is Nature that permits every miracle of medicine, and it is Science that permits our understanding of medicine. By combining the two into a single idea, we aim to strike a balance between the duality of Nature and Technology, in order to design a space that relies more on the healing powers of Nature and less on the intrusiveness of Technology.

Abstract: This project explores the ritual of leisure, social interaction, and reflection in a democratic* space. Water is the universal experience. The program for this site examines the ritual of bathing and the role of intimacy within a public domain. *democratic: absence of hereditary or arbitrary class distinctions or privileges

In the past, a user’s interaction with objects was usually limited to a core function. Whereas today, there is a trend toward objects that can offer multi-layered experiences with the potential to not only serve a core function, but to communicate information and emotion. These interactions offer a give-and-take relationship between the user and the object, with the potential for characteristics, individualistic features, and even personalities to appear. Interactions with such objects provide the potential for empathic relationships to form between human and object. Empathy becomes the bond that gives a user the opportunity to view the world from the object’s perspective. It can create a sense of connection beyond the objects functional expectations, and provides the potential for a more meaningful exchange. In my research, I speculate that empathy can be used as a powerful tool of communication. I offer possibilities on how this tool might be used to learn a skill, to recall a memory or to show an accomplishment. Applied empathy in my research is illustrated through a series of experiments and proposals that demonstrate mechanisms to document today’s changing phenomena in Qatar through the creation of objects.

In my paintings and mixed media works, I incorporate rough textures and vibrant, high contrast colors. I find beauty and intrigue in the gnarled roots of a tree; the crumbling plaster on a wall; and the wrinkled, roughened hands of my grandmother. To explore these types of surfaces, the materials are distorted by twisting, ripping, and pulling the pieces apart. For instance, canvas is layered and stitched together in an uneven manner with knots and lumps added to the distressed surface. I view these distorted, strained surfaces as different forces in my life that push or pull me in varied directions. This metaphor helps me to express myself through formal elements. I approach my compositions gesturally and intuitively by letting them evolve during my process. As a compositional device, I sometimes use a gridded infrastructure or multi-piece presentation. This underlying framework allows me to organize my presentation as I apply marks and manipulate surfaces. I use complementary color palettes that are bright and vibrant. These palettes have a virile quality that emanates a strong sense of purpose and commands attention from the viewer.

Artist Statement My photographs and paintings are reflective of a simpler and slower paced, rural life. This focus is in high contrast to what contemporary urban life often requires. I depict scenes of tranquil landscapes, farm animals, old barns, fields of grasses, and growing crops. I alter my digital photographic images with computer software. I use various filters that transform color, clarity, and value to give the photographs of nature an intentionally peaceful mood. These photographs are a basis for my paintings where I soften nature’s contours and emphasize tranquility. My desire is that viewers will look at my work and take a moment to stop, think, and breathe. Like myself, I want them to slow down and take in the simplicity and beauty of country life.

I draw on my natural interest in my family’s eclectic collections – both traditional and personal – to create poetic portraits composed of carefully made and arranged objects. The goal of my portraiture is not to convey physical likeness; superseding the imitation of appearance is psychological portrayal of the desires and disappointments of the sitter. Often, a fragmented sense of self is revealed – both in others and in myself – and I seek to depict the kaleidoscopic nature of individuals in their given situations. Possessing whimsical, playful elements as well as encounters with lack and longing, I create work to escape what in my life is unbearable as well as to finally embrace that which I cannot possibly escape.

Each stitch is a piece of me that I give, a moment of my life and a unit of my love, meticulously culminated into a universal visual language. The optimist in me knits for the cause, while my formalist counterpart works to make the images that sell my thoughts. I knit for the lovers.I make these objects as a practice and a confirmation of my optimism. I make these images to communicate and persuade as a serious contender while at the same time retaining my own optimism and sanity by promising to never take myself too seriously.

This thesis includes ideas and explorations behind my MFA thesis work and the work that that preceded it in late 2010 and early 2011. In it, I use a creative text by Gertrude Stein, in which she reveals ways that writing reveals and creates language and culture, to illustrate similar ideas regarding field recording and appropriation in my art practice. I use this thesis writing to investigate practices and relationships between media and how these practices can encourage an active, participatory, listening and looking. It also contains discussion of the use of popular music in torture, which inspired Rendition(s), and concludes with a detailed look at the construction of Rendition(s).