This Library panel will focus on the role that museums and other cultural institutions in Qatar and elsewhere play in defining and conveying national identity to local and global audiences. Speakers include world-renowned architects Rem Koolhaas, Jean Nouvel, Jacques Herzog, Ibrahim Jaidah and Ben van Berkel. The event will be moderated by author Philip Jodidio.

Doha has radically changed its appearance in the decades since the beginning of Qatar's economic and cultural boom. One hallmark of the city’s development has been the engagement of world-class architects such as the participating panelists to design buildings that instantly assume iconic status by virtue of their unique and striking appearance.

Cultural facilities, perhaps more so than other buildings, have sought to communicate a sense of self-identity, both through their contents and their architecture. Many of these exquisite buildings reference local culture, landscape and traditions, thus connecting them to the history and culture of the region. These structures, although often related to traditional styles, do not necessarily break with modern architecture, but rather form a distinct category. Local in inspiration, individual in design and modern in appearance, these buildings contribute to the sense of a new national identity of Qatar and its people.

Date: 27 March 2019 

Time: 1:00 – 2:30 PM

Language: Arabic and English 

Target Audience: General public 

This is an open event; RSVP is not required