18 August 2020:  UCL Qatar students and alumni joined hands to publish a book titled “Studying museums in Qatar and beyond”. The book is a collection of research papers written by students that explore pressing topics in the field of museum studies. The book, which is accessible on the UCL Discovery webpage, is the latest initiative by UCL Qatar aiming to enrich discourse on the museum and cultural heritage management sectors both in Qatar and globally. 

Participants included Qatari students Issa Al-Shirawi and Wadha Al-Aqeedi. The former examined the relationship between artists and institutions, while the latter investigated performance art curatorship, with an emphasis on works from the Arab world. 

Issa Al-Shirawi, who is now working for Qatar Museums stated: “Working on this project gave me the opportunity to make my research accessible to a global audience and I am honoured to be able to contribute to the international discourse on museums management. I am thankful to the academic staff and members at UCL Qatar for the support and for involving me in a project that showcases the importance and ongoing development of cultural heritage and museology in Qatar and beyond.”

Other students included Ignacio Zamora Sanz from Spain, who focused on Hamad International Airport’s public art pieces and the impact such displays have on travellers as well as how they fit within Qatar’s wider cultural policies. Lina Patmali from Greece explored the meaning and importance of self-reflective exhibitions and institutional curatorial practice. Lejla Niksic from Bosnia and Herzegovina discussed affect and emotion in museums and finally, Syeda Arman Zabi from India discussed strategies that museums use to construct narrative and produce knowledge around traumatic events. 

The book was edited by Dr. Alexandra Bounia, Associate Professor in Museum Studies, and Dr. Catharina Hendrick, Lecturer in Museum Studies. The topics covered in the research papers explored themes discussed as part of the Master of Arts programme in Museum and Gallery Practice offered at UCL Qatar. These include art curatorship, interrelations between western and non-western practices as well as cultural policies, among others. 

Speaking about her involvement in the project, Dr Alexandra Bounia said: “UCL Qatar has produced some outstanding research that will continue to resonate and inform the future of the museums’ professions and of the knowledge on cultural heritage management for years to come. Some of this research was produced by our students with their dissertations and I am extremely proud of the work they have put on this book, which aims to make all the knowledge they acquired and the research they developed visible and accessible to all. ”.