National Museum of Qatar: Preserving the Authentic, Creating the New

13:20 – 13:50 (May 23)
New Treryakov Gallery
Small Hall

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Presentation

Can a museum simultaneously serve as both a symbol and representation of national consciousness — for locals and tourists alike — while remaining a start-up of cultural meaning? The National Museum of Qatar successfully demonstrates how it is possible to preserve traditions while experimenting with the future, including through technologies that captivate visitors and guide them along an endless journey of the country’s cultural evolution. This session is an encounter with a unique institution that has placed its bet on "living heritage," on ideas of shared belonging, multilayered narratives, and technological engagement with audiences. Abdulla Mohammed Al Sulaiti, Deputy Director for Scientific Research and Museum Collections, will share how the historic palace building was transformed into a large-scale platform for cultural dialogue.

Key themes will include community co-creation, architectural metaphors of time (the building shaped like a "desert rose" and other architectural mediums), integration of intangible heritage, media art as a channel for revitalizing traditions. Special attention will be given to how the museum engages with local identity — through crafts, oral histories, family archives, and collaborations with contemporary artists, including representatives of Latin America in the "Global South" dialogue.

Yet it is not just the past that takes centre stage: the session will also explore how museum practices adapt to 21st-century challenges — from digital archives and artificial intelligence to participatory curation programs. How can a museum transform from a repository into a living organism that responds to society’s pain, hopes, and dreams? How can authenticity be preserved in an age of replication — and can the authentic be created anew?

Dr. Abdulla Mohammed Al Sulaiti, Deputy Director for Research and Collection, National Museum of Qatar (Qatar)