This beautifully produced book provides a visual exploration of the National Museum of Qatar, an architectural masterpiece designed by Jean Nouvel. With text by Philip Jodidio and breathtaking photography by Iwan Baan and Khalifa Al Obaidly, this timeless yet contemporary publication honours Qatar’s heritage while portraying the country’s openness to modernity and innovation.
First Prize in Museum Publications from the American Alliance of Museums Publication Design Competition 2019 and A’ Silver Design Award in Print and Published Media 2021
Like the architecture of the National Museum itself, the design of this award-winning publication is inspired by the desert rose, a naturally occurring sand formation found in the Qatari desert. Echoing its distinctive colour and feel, the choice of sandy coloured cover materials with blind de-bossing continues through to the screen-printed edges to create an ‘object’ that, like the museum itself, appears to be emerging from the sand – giving visitors the sense of taking a piece of the museum with them, rather than an image of it.
In contrast to the subtle and calm exterior, the inside pages are lavishly illustrated with stunning photography of the soaring interlocking discs captured against the sky, highlighting the intricate relationship between the new architecture and the Old Palace, before moving inside to the galleries within.
Mirroring the museum journey, the narrative is punctuated by subtle pauses with no loud chapter announcements. Drawing on the absence of straight interior or exterior walls in the architectural design, the centred text exists in counterpoint to the other graphic elements on the page (titles, footers, folios…), which follow an elusive grid. Photos throughout the book are condensed into ‘picture wells’ with minimal interruption, to create a seamless visual experience.
Presented in a clam-shell case, the collector’s edition is bound in luxurious suede and features a range of fine paper stocks, panoramic foldouts and an array of additional images. Conceived as a pair, placed together the cladding design on the trade cover continues uninterrupted on the collector’s edition book and case, radiating out to infinity, much like the architecture.
Language English/Arabic
Publication date 2020
ISBN 9780500022764
