University News Last updated 12 January 2016
A graduate from the MA Interior Design course at Birmingham School of Architecture and Design, Tamadher Al Fahal, has been awarded Alumni of the Year for 2016 for contributions to ‘Community Engagement and Leadership’.
The Award Ceremony
The Award Ceremony took place on Monday 11 January 2016 at Birmingham’s concert venue, Symphony Hall. Tamadher said:
TEDx Talk
Tamadher sees creativity as a unifying and liberating force. This viewpoint is explored in her recent TEDx talk, which reinforces her commitment to exploring collaborative creative opportunities with others, and her dedication to supporting the rich contemporary culture scene that is emerging in Bahrain.
The Gold Lion Medal
In her role as a curator and artist, Tamadher has participated in several art workshops and exhibitions. She was a member of the Bahraini Team, who won the Gold Lion Medal for the Best National Participation for their narrative installation ‘Reclaim’ at the Mostra di Architettura di Venezia, -Venice Biennale in 2010.
The PhD
As an academic, she balances teaching with research. Her year is split between teaching Interior Design at the University of Bahrain and currently developing her PhD with Birmingham School of Architecture and Design.
Tamadher said: “This advanced research investigates a new evolving cultural identity in Bahrain and the philosophical relationship that exists between profound principles of faith and the development of contemporary representations in Islamic architecture and design.”
Opportunity initiative
The award-winner has been employed by Birmingham City University through the ‘Opportunity’ initiative and is currently working as an ‘Academic Partner’ with the MA Interior Design staff team, helping to transform this course into a ‘vital new programme’. She is also employed as an 'Alumni Mentor’. In this role, she inspires the Masters Level Interior Design students to achieve enhanced levels of creative performance.
As part of Tamadher’s creative passion she is currently developing a trans-disciplinary design practice called ‘Beige and Teal' with her husband and hopes to expand the brand to reflect creative values and propose design solutions that blend identity and culture in a "modern and perhaps sometimes ironic context".
To keep up to date with all the latest news and information from Birmingham School of Architecture and Design, follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @BCU_BSoAD.