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www.thepeninsulaqatar.com CAMPUS | 3 COMMUNITY | 6 ENTERTAINMENT | 122 Match Day success for Corporate Cricket Playing Dhoni was WCM-Q’s future League to celebrate a ‘challenge’ for doctors Labour Day Rajput THURSDAY 31 MARCH 2016 Email: [email protected] thepeninsulaqatar @peninsulaqatar @peninsula_qatar P | 4-5 ART FIGHTS RACISM Nastassja E Swift is showcasing 12 pieces of her work at ‘I Keep Repeating It Over & Over In My Head’ being exhibited as part of Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar (VCUQatar)’s Artists in Residence programme. THURSDAY 31 MARCH 2016 | 03 CAMPUS QU-CENG holds workshop on sustainable urbanism banism from the perspective of social er of Social Ecologies Nance Klehm. sciences, and to highlight the role of They discussed topics related to “Sus- the community in shaping and manag- tainability Paradigms and Future Cit- ing sustainable cities. ies”, “Sustainable City Building: An In- DAUP head Dr Yasser Mahjoub ter-disciplinary Research Agenda In- gave the welcoming remarks followed formed by High Calibre City Data” and by Ambassador of Switzerland Etienne “The Ground Rules: Reconnecting Soil Thevoz, and QNRF director of So- and Soul”. cial Sciences, Arts and Humanities Dr The program focused on 3 topics: Michael Reksulak. “Sustainable Urbanism: New Paradigms”, Also attending were Education Pro- “Sustainable Urbanism & The Social Sci- gramme Specialist at Unesco Doha Of- ences”, and “Urban Data and Urban In- fice Dr Anwar Alsaid, faculty from QU dicators for Sustainability”. It comprised Gulf Studies Program, College of Engi- 3 sessions delivered by experts from neering and Social and Economic Sur- Qatar, Holland, UAE, United Kingdom, vey Research Institute, researchers USA, Finland, Italy and Canada. from Georgetown University and Qatar Topics included “Ecological Patch- Environment & Energy Research Insti- iness”, “From Urban Acuapuncture to tute (QEERI), as well as architects and the Third Generation City”, “Recoded planners from Qatar Ministry of Munic- City: Co-creating Urban Futures in the ipality and Environment and Ashghal Majority World”, “Supporting Decisions he Department of Architecture New Directions”, the event was spon- Public Works Authority. Towards Post Carbon Cities”, and more. and Urban Planning (DAUP) at sored by Qatar National Research Fund Keynote speakers were professor of there was a roundtable discus- Qatar University College of En- (QNRF), and supported by the Embas- information architecture at the Swiss sion on “Research agenda for Sustain- Tgineering (QU-CENG) held a sy of Switzerland, Nakheel Landscapes, Federal Institute of Technology Zurich able Urbanism in Qatar and the Re- workshop on sustainable urbanism on and Al Sulaiteen Agricultural & Indus- (ETH) and founding director of the Sin- gion” moderated by Urbanista found- March 21 to discuss new approaches trial Complex (SAIC). gapore-ETH Future Cities Centre Prof er Lucy Bullivant and conducted by in the emerging cross-disciplinary field The event brought together 12 in- Gerhardt Schmitt, World Council on City experts from QU, Ashghal, Qatar Min- of sustainable urbanism and its relat- ternational researchers and experts Data president and CEO and University istry of Municipality and Environment, ed areas. from nine countries to discuss the new of Toronto Global Cities Institute direc- QEERI, Qatar Foundation, and UNESCO Themed “Sustainable Urbanism, directions in the field of sustainable ur- tor Prof Patricia McCarney and Found- Doha Office. Match Day success for WCM-Q’s future doctors edical students at Weill Cornell Match Day is highly competi- MMedicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) have tive, with more than 42,000 stu- ‘matched’ at some of the world’s lead- dents across the world vying for just ing healthcare institutions, securing 30,000 residency positions at US places in residency programs to con- hospitals. Nineteen out of 21 WCM- tinue their clinical training after they Q students who applied and inter- graduate in May. viewed for residency secured a place The annual Match Day event, which in a program, giving a match rate of pairs soon-to-graduate medical stu- more than 90 percent. dents with US residency training pro- Students and their families of the grams, saw WCM-Q students gain posi- Class of 2016 attended the Match tions at elite hospitals such as Cleveland Day ceremony held at WCM-Q to Clinic, NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cor- hear the results of their applications nell Medical Center, University of Texas soon after they were announced by Southwestern Medical Center, and Van- the National Resident Matching Pro- derbilt University Medical Center. gram (NRMP) in Washington, D.C. 04 | THURSDAY 31 MARCH 2016 COVER STORY The unusual title of the exhibition refers to the feelings of doubt and anxiety felt An artist’s by an individual who has been subjected to or has experienced works speak out racism. against racism it’s something that continues to affect me and I don’t think avoid- ing it is a solution. I made the de- cision a year ago to allow myself to be completely vulnerable and exposed to my viewers and share my personal experiences through the work as a form of communi- cating and addressing my opinion on racism,” Swift told Doha Today. The title is unique in a way that suggests feelings of anxiety, reiteration, redundancy and over thinking something. Although, ‘I Keep Repeating It Over & Over In My Head’ was not the first choice of Swift as title for the exhibition. Many other she chose something which is more relevant to her work and the mes- sage the work conveys. “There are a number of things that I could be repeating over in my head, and I like that the “it” in the title is kind of left open to in- terpretation. The title was an ac- cidental title – I originally was considering “Assemble-d’ as an option for the name of the exhi- bition,” said Swift. “Through text, I told Gina (the By Fazeena Saleem though it doesn’t exist isn’t a solu- other artist in residence), ‘I think I The Peninsula tion. These issues have to be ad- figured out my title, I keep repeat- dressed,” said Swift. She is show- ing it over and over in my head.’ casing twelve pieces of her work By ‘it’ I meant the title ‘Assemble- at ‘I Keep Repeating It Over & d’, however Gina misunderstood acism, classism and feel- Over In My Head’ being exhibited my text and thought it was the ings of otherness exist in as part of Virginia Commonwealth actual title. Initially I was against every country and in eve- University in Qatar (VCUQatar)’s it and felt it was too long, but I Rry community — what var- Artists in Residence programme. thought about what it means to ies is how each person handles The unusual title of the exhibi- constantly think about something. those issues and communicates tion refers to the feelings of doubt It was strange and weird, and the them to others. and anxiety felt by an individual more I thought about the title, the Nastassja E Swift’s choice of who has been subjected to or ex- more it made sense in reference communication is her work in art. perienced racism. to my work. In the end, I felt like it “I don’t see racism ending any- “I’ve experienced racism; there- was a much better choice and de- time soon considering how long it fore I am able to address it gen- scribed perfectly my feelings to- has existed, but avoiding the con- uinely and honestly. It’s an issue wards this issue of identity strug- versation and trying to pretend as that is important to me because gles,” she said. THURSDAY 31 MARCH 2016 | 05 COVER STORY “Pretty often I am asked, Is that your real hair or a weave? Can I feel your hair? Why do black girls wear scarves on their hair at night? This piece is my response to the infatuation others have with black hair,” she said. In the exhibition the piece ‘Camou- flaged’ addresses feelings of needing to obscure my version of blackness to ex- ist within predominately white institu- tions and escape the idea of otherness. “I’ve painted my skin with white paint so that I blend in with a light coloured object, reflecting my feelings as a child of thinking it would be easier if I were lighter,” said Swift. ‘Now You Can Touch My Hair’ satiri- cally confronts the notion of black hair as a spectacle, or something for others to pet and at the same time embrac- ing the fact that sometimes the hair on head isn’t actually Swift’s. “Pretty often I am asked, Is that your real hair or a weave? Can I feel your hair? Why do black girls wear scarves with black hair,” she said. on their hair at night? This piece is my Swift is a graduate of Virginia Com- response to the infatuation others have monwealth University, with a major in Painting and Printmaking and a minor in Craft and Material Studies. She is the Co- Director of Mist Gallery, an online art space that she and a fellow VCU grad- uate founded during their senior year. Although she began working as an oil painter and printmaker, Nastassja has taken on fiber processes within her stu- dio practice. In the past two years, her work has been exhibited throughout the city of Richmond, neighbouring cit- ies in Virginia as well as Tennessee, Mar- yland and Pennsylvania. Since receiving her degree, Nastassja was awarded a fellowship at the Vermont Studio Cent- er and is currently the BFA Artist in Res- idence at VCU Qatar in Doha, where she is currently living an d working. ‘I Keep Repeating It Over & Over In My Head’ is open to visitors until April 3, at the VCUQatar Gallery.

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