The Power of Culture

A series of conversations with Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and people who have been part of Qatar’s architecture & culture development journey.

In this episode, Her Excellency welcomes Qatari architect, Fatma Ibrahim Al Sehlawi.

She is the co-founder of Atlas Bookstore (2015) and the co-founder of Studio Imara (2017). In parallel, Fatma has been leading the Qatar Blueprint project at the Office of H.E. Chairperson of Qatar Museums.

She discusses her background in architecture and work on the building of Lusail City in Qatar and her transition to cultural projects, reflecting on the development of the city and the importance of synergies between heritage and contemporary art. She also talks about her collaborative work with Herzog and de Meuron, REM Koolhaas, and OMA on various exhibitions and the blueprint project.

The Power of Culture Podcast is a Qatar Creates production.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A series of conversations with Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and people who have been part of Qatar’s architecture & culture development journey.

In this episode, Her Excellency is joined by Abdullah Yousef Al Mulla, the Director of the 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum.

Al Mulla has vast experience working with international and local organizations in sports and event management, media, and public relations, including being a member of the Doha Asian Games 2006 Organizing Committee. He is also Media & Broadcasting Director for the Asian Amateur Athletic Federation, the Association of National Olympic Committee’s (ANOC) Protocol Chief, Protocol Director for the Olympic Council of Asia and a Board Member of the International Table Tennis Federation. He has written a book on his experiences, Perfect Pitch (2017).

Their conversation was held prior to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where they share insights on the activities and preparations for the world cup as well as its legacy. Al Mulla also shares his experience in the Doha Asian Games, the 3-2-1 Museum, as well as the importance of preserving Qatar's sports history and promoting a healthy and active lifestyle among the population.

The Power of Culture Podcast is a Qatar Creates production.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A series of conversations with Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and people who have been part of Qatar’s architecture & culture development journey.

In this episode, Her Excellency hosts former president of the Museum of Modern Art, and member of the Board of Trustees of the Qatar Museums Authority, Marie-Josée Kravis.

Kravis is an economist who has served on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the board of French luxury goods conglomerate LVMH. Since 2011, she has been involved with the biannual Marie-Josée Kravis Prize for New Music at the New York Philharmonic, and she has also served as the Board Chair of New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). With her husband, she runs the Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Foundation, which has contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to arts, culture, and medicine. Marie-Josée Kravis additionally supports New York’s Lincoln Center for Performing Arts and Metropolitan Opera, and the Hermitage Collection at Somerset House in London.

Marie-Josée Kravis and Her Excellency discuss the role of art and culture in enriching minds and contributing to the growth of grassroots small and medium-sized businesses. They also explore the intersection of art, fashion, and luxury hospitality; as well as how museums inspire and anchor the careers of future artists, contributing to nation building.

The Power of Culture Podcast is a Qatar Creates production.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A series of conversations with Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and people who have been part of Qatar’s architecture & culture development journey.

In this episode, Her Excellency is joined by Sheikha Amna bint Abdulaziz Al Thani.

Sheikha Amna Al Thani is the Chief of Museum and Heritage Development at Qatar Museums. She was educated at Carnegie Mellon University and London School of Economics. She leads the museums from macro-level project planning to in-depth operational and strategic planning. She headed the steering committee and the community workshops that culminated in the development of the National Museum of Qatar.

She reflects on her time working at Qatar museums for over ten years, and insights into her efforts to open the National Museums in 2019.

The Power of Culture Podcast is a Qatar Creates production.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A series of conversations with Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and people who have been part of Qatar’s architecture & culture development journey.
In this episode, Her Excellency hosts one of America's most influential artists, Jeff Koons.
Rising to prominence in the 1980s, he has explored luxury, spectacle and popular culture in works across media, including the world’s largest flower sculpture, Puppy (1992), installed at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and his monumental Inflatables series in mirror-polished stainless steel, represented in cities and collections worldwide.
Koons shares some insight into his career, including the early years in New York to the unveiling of his large-scale stainless-steel work, ‘Dugong”, 2020-2022, along the Corniche in Al Masrah Park, Doha. He also shares details about his 'Lost in America' exhibition that took place at Al Riwaq Gallery in Doha.

The Power of Culture Podcast is a Qatar Creates production.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A series of conversations with Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and people who have been part of Qatar’s architecture & culture development journey.

In this episode, Her Excellency hosts Dutch architect and professor at Harvard University, Rem Koolhaas.

Koolhaas works like a conceptual artist, drawing on a seemingly endless reservoir of ideas. He is a co-founder of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), and among his most notable works are the CCTV Headquarters in Beijing (2012) and Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow (2014). Koolhaas is also an urban thinker who has designed masterplans for, among other places, suburban Paris, the Libyan desert, and Hong Kong. In Qatar, OMA is responsible for the National Library and the headquarters of the Qatar Foundation, both in Education City. He leads the team creating the future Qatar Auto Museum and is involved in the development of the Qatar Blueprint.

He provides insight on his approach to architecture, projects, and the importance of sustainability and the transformation of existing buildings in his work. The discussion also centers Qatar's unique urban landscape, cultural diversity, and the overlap between art, architecture, and sports.

The Power of Culture Podcast is a Qatar Creates production.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A series of conversations with Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and people who have been part of Qatar’s architecture & culture development journey.

In this episode, Her Excellency is joined by Icelandic-Danish artist, Olafur Eliasson.

Eliasson garnered an international reputation based on his large-scale installations that employ elemental materials such as light, water, and air temperature to enhance the viewer’s experience. He represented Denmark at the 50th Venice Biennale in 2003 and later that year installed the Weather Project, an enormous artificial sun shrouded by mist, in the Turbine Hall of Tate Modern, London, which was seen by more than two million people. Among other landmark works were the New York City Waterfalls, which were installed along the city’s waterfronts in 2008. One of his latest pieces of site-specific art was inaugurated in Qatar in October 2022, followed by an exhibition in March 2023 divided between the National Museum of Qatar and the desert.

He shares his thoughts on the environment, climate change, and his use of natural elements in his artworks. He reveals his process and inspiration behind his new sculpture in Qatar, as well as his relationship with Viktor Pinchuk and their collaboration on cultural projects in Ukraine.

The Power of Culture Podcast is a Qatar Creates production.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A series of conversations with Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and people who have been part of Qatar’s architecture & culture development journey.

In this episode, Her Excellency welcomes Chilean architect and executive director of the firm ELEMENTAL, Alejandro Aravena.

After the 2010 earthquake and tsunami that hit Chile, ELEMENTAL was called to work on the reconstruction of the city of Constitucion. In 2010, Aravena was named one of the 20 new heroes of the world by Monocle magazine. He was the director and curator of the Architecture Section of the 2016 Venice Biennale; the same year he won the Pritzker Prize, the highest honour in architecture. Aravena and ELEMENTAL are the architects responsible for the forthcoming Art Mill Museum in Doha.

They discuss the progressive opening of industrial facilities towards public spaces in Doha and the transformation of the city's relationship with nature and the ocean, as well as the evolution of the country and its inspiration for the art mill project in Qatar.

The Power of Culture Podcast is a Qatar Creates production.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A series of conversations with Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and people who have been part of Qatar’s architecture & culture development journey.

In this episode, Her Excellency is joined by Fatma Al Remaihi, the chief executive of the Doha Film Institute (DFI).

As an ambassador for the Qatari film industry she has established the country’s presence on the international stage, including at major events such as the Cannes Film Festival and New York’s Tribeca Festival. She also oversees the institute’s nurturing of domestic talent with the awarding of grants to Qatari filmmakers and directs Doha’s annual Qumra and Ajyal film festivals.

The discussion focuses on the journey of filmmakers who have gone through the Doha Film Institute's programs, emphasising the growth and evolution of their careers. They also delve into the impact of cinema as a tool for education and social change, particularly in the Middle East.

The Power of Culture Podcast is a Qatar Creates production.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A series of conversations with Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and people who have been part of Qatar’s architecture & culture development journey.

In this episode, Her Excellency welcomes Fahad Al Obaidly, the Deputy Director of Programming and Partnerships for the Design Doha Biennale.

Bound by no single medium, Al Obaidly is a fashion designer, artist, filmmaker and entrepreneur. Born and raised in Qatar, he studied at the Istituto Marangoni in Milan before returning to Doha and launching his own fashion label specialising in casual menswear. He studied filmmaking at the Doha Film Institute and his documentary Inside Out screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016. As an artist he has had a residency at the Fire Station in Doha and a solo show at W Doha’s Art 29 Gallery.

In this episode, Fahad shares his journey and inspirations throughout his multifaceted creative career, sharing insights on his childhood, fashion brand, film, and now on his role within the Design Doha Biennale.

The Power of Culture Podcast is a Qatar Creates production.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.