How do cities remember when much of their built environment is new? In places shaped by rapid growth and transformation, memory is often produced not through ruins or inherited streetscapes, but through institutions, archives, artistic practices, and collective narratives. This conversation explores how cities such as Doha are not only constructing cultural histories but actively shaping the forms of memory that will define their future.
Habeeb M. Abu-Futtaim is an artist, educator, and Arab art specialist based in Doha. Born and raised in Qatar within a multicultural Hadhrami/Yemeni–South Asian background, his work engages with cultural and political identities shaped by Indian Ocean exchange and contemporary Gulf culture, exploring the intersections of Arab, South Asian, and diasporic histories through his own embodied experience. Abu-Futtaim has exhibited internationally in biennials and group exhibitions across Berlin, Dubai, Doha, and Santa Cruz. He also co-founded and led the Modern and Contemporary Art Auction at AlBahie Auction House in Doha focusing on art from the Arab region, contributing to the growth and visibility of the regional Arab art market. He currently teaches in the Department of Fine Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar, where he co-founded ArtWeek and the HS Fine Art Award, and is a co-founder of GubGub Studios, Qatar’s first artist-run space.
Isabella Rossen is a sociologist, researcher and developer of programs, specialized in urban development, and with a focus on the meaning of heritage, public spaces, and ‘placemaking’. She is experienced in developing and executing programs and public events that connect scientists, policymakers, designers and artists, such as the pre-launch of OMA’s Countryside exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum and more recently the Opening Symposium of the Countryside exhibition in Qatar. Besides working for Qatar Museums as Head of Programs, she is curator of the Experimental Labs workshop “Grafting Al Asmakh” that took place at Liwan Design Studios and Labs in January 2026.
Dr. Thomas Modeen is an architect, designer, and academic with a cross-disciplinary practice that bridges the conceptual and the utilitarian. He is also working on developing the Qatar Preparatory School (QPS) Vocational Institution for the Creative and Cultural Industries for Qatar Museums.
Dr. Thomas is also a founding member of MODEEN (formerly known as 'Architects Independent'), a multidisciplinary design collective known for its innovative approach to materials, form, and function. His design work spans experimental and functional domains, often integrating both traditional craftsmanship and emerging digital technologies to explore new modes of making and meaning.
Tirdad Zolghadr is a curator and writer. He joined the curatorial team of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha in 2024. He’s published several writings that include fiction, art criticism, and curatorial research, e.g. REALTY: Beyond the Traditional Blueprints of Art & Gentrification (Hatje Cantz, 2022). As a curator, he has worked with a range of public museums, international biennials, and independent project spaces. Zolghadr has taught at the International Art Academy Ramallah, the Center for Curatorial Studies Bard College NY, and most recently the postgraduate program of the University of the Arts Berlin, among other settings. He has been an advisor at the Rijksakademie Amsterdam since 2008.