Sufra Studies part of the Experimental Lab - Routes and Roots is a multi-day workshop that examines how we sit, share, and gather around food by investigating traditional eating practices from the Gulf and beyond. Through hands-on prototyping in Liwan's Prototype Lab, participants will study the ergonomics, social choreography, and cultural significance of floor dining (sufra), table dining, and hybrid seating typologies - exploring how these arrangements shape accessibility, intimacy, and community across generations.
Working collaboratively over four sessions, participants will research traditional and contemporary eating spaces in Doha (beginning with a field visit to Jiwan Restaurant to observe their low seating arrangements, and exploring other traditional Qatari seating typologies, including majlis spaces), and prototype scaled seating and surface elements using digital fabrication tools (laser cutting, 3D printing, vacuum forming). Workshop outputs will be documented and may inform PPS's broader research on community food spaces, with potential integration into the Routes & Roots Supper Club event (December 19-20) and future design applications.
The workshop will be a series of four sessions from December 14-17, 2025.
Session 1 will take place at Jiwan Restaurant (meal charges included in the workshop cost) from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM.
Session one begins with a field visit to Jiwan Restaurant to observe traditional low seating arrangements, followed by an introduction to eating typologies across Gulf cultures at Liwan, with a guest speaker discussing inclusive design.
Sessions 2 and 3 will be scheduled during the day (2:00 PM – 5:00 PM) at Liwan.
Session two explores the materials and tools available in the Prototype Lab, with participants selecting components to prototype (low seating, surface systems, or connection elements) inspired by Qatari traditions such as majlis and sufra dining.
Session three is dedicated to fabrication, with Liwan's Prototype Lab Specialist operating lab equipment. At the same time, participants work on assembly and textile elements, with extended open lab time available for additional making.
Session 4 will be a presentation day and supper club experience at Liwan from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM.
Session four focuses on final assembly, documentation, and a discussion integrating sufra textile designs with the spatial prototypes developed in the workshop.
Participants should be able to commit to all four sessions and be interested in exploring how Qatari seating traditions (majlis, sufra, contemporary hybrids) can inform accessible, community-oriented design. Previous fabrication experience is not required.
The workshop can accommodate 10 participants.
300 QAR
PARTICIPANTS TO BRING OWN LAPTOPS, OPTIONAL BUT RECOMMENDED TO DOWNLOAD ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR/AFFINITY, PHOTOSHOP, RHINO.