I hold a Master of Architectural Design from Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy. My Masters thesis was focused on the design and the construction of a playground for kids in a primary school,
using the methodology of the Participatory design where actively all stakeholders were involved in the designing
process.
My professional life in Qatar.
I first joined VCUarts Qatar in the fall of 2011. I was hired as an adjunct faculty in the Fashion Design department to teach the elective studio “Interdisciplinary Fashion Workshop.” The main outcome of the class was The Ayaba Project, a tribute to the disappearing traditional abaya by adapting it into a multicultural garment. The project had a great success and was exhibited at the Katara Art Center, published in several magazines, and brought to the main campus in Richmond.
Digital Illustration, Digital Fabrication, and Jewelry Design are the classes I taught for a few years together with elective interdisciplinary studio courses in collaboration between FDES and GDES. These courses explored the DIY culture to define a methodology to develop projects ranging over a series of materials and concepts to engage creative thinking as part of the design process.
From 2014 to the end of 2018, I held the position of Head of Design Studio at Qatar Museums. With a team of VCUarts Qatar alumni, the studio designed and developed products for the QM’s gift shops inspired by the local culture and by the content of the museums’ collections. The products are distributed at the Museum of Islamic Art, the National Museum, Mathaf, Firestation and the gift shop at the Hamad International airport. They have also been displayed in several international exhibitions curated by QM in Germany, Russia, and France. At QM, my role was not only to guide and coordinate my team but also to maintain a solid relationship with VCUarts Qatar and the local creative community to develop projects in collaboration with students, alumni, and the emerging local talents, and give them international exposure and recognition.
In 2018 on the occasion of Tasmeem Doha, I had the opportunity to collaborate with Water With Water, the Tasmeem co-chairs, and a few students, and offer my expertise by contributing to the design and production of a branded merchandise collection.
Before moving to Doha.
I got a Master in Architecture from the Polytechnic University of Turin with a thesis inquiring participatory architectural design, a methodology that involves the stakeholders, designers, researchers, and end-users in the design process to help ensure that the end product meets the needs of its intended user base. The case study of my research was a playground for the students of a primary school in the suburbs of Torino.
For several years I have worked in a studio specialized in master plans, residential buildings, and public spaces. It has been a wonderful and intense experience, which also made me realize that the time required to develop and complete architectural projects are too long for my dynamism, curiosity and creative impulse.
In 2005 I joined the E1 (Exhibition Unit) at the Interaction Design Institute Ivrea, a graduate design school operating in the field of the emerging interaction design disciplines. E1 was the research center of the school, where teams of senior designers and students worked together for external clients and real-world projects.
E1 became an independent company called Interaction Design Lab (Id-Lab), oriented to design and produce interactive experiences, objects, and services. The company was also active in the field of education and collaborated with schools and cultural institutions developing pedagogical programs on new technologies and interactive design.
While collaborating with Id-Lab, I continued to work independently on interior and event design projects. A significant achievement was to develop the brand and design all the cafeterias of the University of Turin, in collaboration with the Turin based studio TODO.
My professional life in Qatar.
I first joined VCUarts Qatar in the fall of 2011. I was hired as an adjunct faculty in the Fashion Design department to teach the elective studio “Interdisciplinary Fashion Workshop.” The main outcome of the class was The Ayaba Project, a tribute to the disappearing traditional abaya by adapting it into a multicultural garment. The project had a great success and was exhibited at the Katara Art Center, published in several magazines, and brought to the main campus in Richmond.
Digital Illustration, Digital Fabrication, and Jewelry Design are the classes I taught for a few years together with elective interdisciplinary studio courses in collaboration between FDES and GDES. These courses explored the DIY culture to define a methodology to develop projects ranging over a series of materials and concepts to engage creative thinking as part of the design process.
From 2014 to the end of 2018, I held the position of Head of Design Studio at Qatar Museums. With a team of VCUarts Qatar alumni, the studio designed and developed products for the QM’s gift shops inspired by the local culture and by the content of the museums’ collections. The products are distributed at the Museum of Islamic Art, the National Museum, Mathaf, Firestation and the gift shop at the Hamad International airport. They have also been displayed in several international exhibitions curated by QM in Germany, Russia, and France. At QM, my role was not only to guide and coordinate my team but also to maintain a solid relationship with VCUarts Qatar and the local creative community to develop projects in collaboration with students, alumni, and the emerging local talents, and give them international exposure and recognition.
In 2018 on the occasion of Tasmeem Doha, I had the opportunity to collaborate with Water With Water, the Tasmeem co-chairs, and a few students, and offer my expertise by contributing to the design and production of a branded merchandise collection.
Before moving to Doha.
I got a Master in Architecture from the Polytechnic University of Turin with a thesis inquiring participatory architectural design, a methodology that involves the stakeholders, designers, researchers, and end-users in the design process to help ensure that the end product meets the needs of its intended user base. The case study of my research was a playground for the students of a primary school in the suburbs of Torino.
For several years I have worked in a studio specialized in master plans, residential buildings, and public spaces. It has been a wonderful and intense experience, which also made me realize that the time required to develop and complete architectural projects are too long for my dynamism, curiosity and creative impulse.
In 2005 I joined the E1 (Exhibition Unit) at the Interaction Design Institute Ivrea, a graduate design school operating in the field of the emerging interaction design disciplines. E1 was the research center of the school, where teams of senior designers and students worked together for external clients and real-world projects.
E1 became an independent company called Interaction Design Lab (Id-Lab), oriented to design and produce interactive experiences, objects, and services. The company was also active in the field of education and collaborated with schools and cultural institutions developing pedagogical programs on new technologies and interactive design.
While collaborating with Id-Lab, I continued to work independently on interior and event design projects. A significant achievement was to develop the brand and design all the cafeterias of the University of Turin, in collaboration with the Turin based studio TODO.