about

The VCUarts Qatar Institute for Creative Research is the first institute in Qatar and the SWANA region dedicated to advancing discourse across creative domains. Established in 2022, the ICR is a vibrant and dynamic community of faculty researchers, students, and alumni that have a unified drive to contribute to the local and global creative ecosystems through multi and transdisciplinary research, scholarship, and creative practices.

As disciplinary boundaries become increasingly porous and new knowledge domains emerge, the ICR’s central aim is to foster innovative approaches and applications in critical making, creative thinking, and collaboration. Celebrating diverse voices and perspectives, the ICR is committed to generating meaningful contributions with societal impact.

The edge of the ICR lies in the multifaceted and distinctive research that comes forth from the synergy of faculty, student, and alumni from a hybrid of disciplinary domains, cultures, perspectives, backgrounds, and expertise. The faculty-led research labs pursue a territory of inquiry through iterative explorations that delve into a broad spectrum of areas such as cultural production, material studies, visual cultures, cultural heritage and preservation, and emergent technology. The ICR aims to foster creative explorations that respect the past, consider the present, and build a diversity of futures through cultural innovation, supporting Qatar’s contributions to global creative discourse.