Doha: Liwan Design Studios and Labs will present ‘Bu‘ed Nadhar’, bringing together 32 works by 16 artists and designers developed through five residencies and collaborative programmes.
On view at Liwan from November 5, 2026 to January 31, 2027, the exhibition is presented as part of Design Doha 2026, which was established under the leadership of Chairperson of Qatar Museums H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. ‘Bu‘ed Nadhar’ reflects Liwan’s role as a platform for experimentation, collaboration and the development of design practices rooted in the region’s cultural heritage and materials.
Through material experimentation, research and engagement with local communities, ‘Bu‘ed Nadhar’, meaning “beyond immediate vision”, frames design as a temporal and reflective practice that navigates memory and cultural continuity, shaping the environments of tomorrow while remaining accountable to the past. The featured projects draw inspiration from Qatar’s landscape and cultural practices, incorporating locally sourced materials including clay, palm leaves, wood, fibres, and sand. Collectively, the works demonstrate how craft can serve as a living archive, preserving heritage while allowing it to evolve through new forms, techniques and perspectives.
Director of Liwan Design Studios and Labs and the exhibition’s curator Aisha Nasser Al Sowaidi said, “Bu‘ed Nadhar reflects Liwan’s commitment to supporting designers as they engage with the knowledge embedded in Qatar’s materials, traditions and environments. By working with local experts, industries and production facilities—from workshops and prototyping spaces to Doha’s Industrial Area—the exhibition considers Qatar as a site of production and an evolving urban narrative. Bu‘ed Nadhar recognises that design extends beyond form and function. It is a way of seeing shaped by resilience, continuity and the ability to look beyond immediate vision. The exhibition considers what endures while allowing ideas, materials and traditions to evolve and take on new forms.”
The exhibition brings together work developed through a range of Liwan residencies, including Ideas FROMM. Industry Residency, a partnership with Doha-and Milan-based design platform FROMM., where designers explored local materials and Doha’s industrial landscape; and Shaping and Crafting the Future, an international residency with Campus MaNa in France focused on innovation, sustainability, and creative reuse.
The Liwan Craft Residency—Oasis: Our Design Ecosystem, led and curated by multidisciplinary designer Asma Derouiche, explored reinterpreting traditional objects and cultural practices through contemporary design. Also on view is Hayakum, led by artist and designer Cristián Mohaded, which reimagines the date container as an object rooted in Qatar’s culture of hospitality. Other featured works include Athar by artist and designer Noora Al Melhim, a ceramic interpretation of the traditional Gulf fire pit, and Bar-Bahr by calligrapher Jassim Al Nasrallah, a series of sculptures exploring the relationship between Arabic calligraphy and Qatar’s marine and desert environments.
