Musée national du Qatar

Jean Nouvel’s vision was to build a rose des sables. This shapes the entire building, from exterior to interior. Exterior and interior volumes form complex interweavings and organic shapes. They create a succession of astonishing spaces that are brought to life by digital scenography. The permanent exhibition is organized around three main themes: the natural history of the peninsula, with its flora, fauna and resources; the social and cultural history of the country, with its traditions, values and stories; and the history of nation-building, from the late 18th century to the future. This meeting of tradition and modernity is the foundation of the museum’s celebration of the country’s culture, heritage and future. The 8,000 objects in the museum’s collection are accompanied throughout the stroll by “Art Films”, gigantic projections on the curved walls of the galleries, and by a variety of mediation devices. These curved walls become spectacular projection spaces. These films represent the history of Qatar; each room has its own theme: geology, land animals, Bedouins, pearls, oil, gas, modernity and its own filmmaker: Mira Nair for the pearls, Jacques Perrin for the seabed, Abderrahmane Sissako for the Bedouins… The museography designed by Jean Nouvel is an architectural, spatial and sensory experience.