Georgetown Conference At Msheireb Museums To Highlight Creative Perspectives On Energy And Global Cultures
Intiqab Rawoof
December 7, 2023
Exploring the unique relationship between energy and cultures, Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), in collaboration with Msheireb Museums, will bring together academic and artistic perspectives as it opens a public, two-day conference titled “Global Energy Cultures: How Energy Shapes Our Everyday Lives,” on December 9.
Thought leaders and scholars from the region and across the globe will delve into the social, cultural, and political dimensions of energy production and consumption, emphasizing its integral role in shaping daily life and influencing individual and collective choices. The latest in the Hiwaraat Conference Series events hosted by GU-Q, the forum will also shed light on environmental justice issues, offering a holistic understanding of the human dimensions of energy use that can help inform inclusive policies.
Along with expert-led academic discussions, the art exhibits and film screenings will showcase how artists explore diverse encounters with energy and envision sustainable futures in their creative work.
Highlighting the themes, Zahra Babar, Associate Director of Research at the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) at GU-Q, said: “The conference will consider how culture, human behavior, and energy intersect in shaping a livable and sustainable future. By acknowledging energy systems as both products of and conditions for human cultures, our discussions will serve to inspire innovative policy solutions that effectively address energy challenges and resonate with the lived experiences of diverse populations.”
The keynote address will feature insights by GU-Q Artist-in-Residence, Victor Ehikhamenor, a prolific Nigerian-American multimedia artist, photographer, and writer. Ehikhamenor is widely- recognized for his signature abstract, symbolic, political, and historically- motivated works.
The two-day program will feature an exhibition of I Can Only See Shadows, a collaborative work by the American artist team of David Reuter and Marissa Benedict. The work was commissioned by the Museum of Contemporary Photography (Columbia College, Chicago) for the exhibition Petcoke: Tracing Dirty Energy.
Diverse perspectives, which have notably enriched Hiwaraat events since the series was launched as an inclusive discussion platform, will also be prominent at this conference, with sessions such as “Youth Voices for Sustainable Futures” and discussions with filmmakers from Jordan and India, as well as Qatar-based independent filmmaker, Suzi Mirgani, Assistant Director for Publications, CIRS, GU-Q.
Thoughtful discussion topics will include “Energy and Democracy” featuring Dr. Victor Seow, Associate Professor of the History of Science, atHarvard University. A historian of technology, science, and industry, Dr. Seow specializes in modern industrial societies including China and Japan. Dr. Anto Mohsin, Assistant Professor in Residence at Northwestern University in Qatar and author of the forthcoming book, Electrifying Indonesia: Technology and Social Justice in National Development, will chair a session titled “Resilience and Maintenance”.
For the full program and registration details, please visit the conference website at https://cirs.qatar.georgetown.edu/energy/.
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