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Lolwa Al-Mulla

Contacts

Hand to Heart

A Pulse Built by Labor

In 1949, Qatar’s first oil shipment left Umm Said, marking a turning point shaped by the labor of Qatari workers in Dukhan. Soon after, the installation of the first electric generator in Msheireb brought light to Doha and set the foundation for the city’s transformation. This thesis connects the laborers’ hands to the making of what became known as the Heart of Doha, framing their work as both physical effort and generative force.

The project takes the form of a wall-based exhibition that translates this history into a spatial visual narrative, where archival images and text are arranged across multiple scales. Through sequencing and layered graphics, the installation suggests the expansion and contraction of a beating heart, inviting viewers to trace how labor shaped the city’s growth while positioning the work as both historical interpretation and an exploration of archival exhibition design.

Lolwa Al-Mulla

Graphic Design 2026

In 1949, Qatar’s first oil shipment left Umm Said, marking a turning point shaped by the labor of Qatari workers in Dukhan. Soon after, the installation of the first electric generator in Msheireb brought light to Doha and set the foundation for the city’s transformation. This thesis connects the laborers’ hands to the making of what became known as the Heart of Doha, framing their work as both physical effort and generative force.

The project takes the form of a wall-based exhibition that translates this history into a spatial visual narrative, where archival images and text are arranged across multiple scales. Through sequencing and layered graphics, the installation suggests the expansion and contraction of a beating heart, inviting viewers to trace how labor shaped the city’s growth while positioning the work as both historical interpretation and an exploration of archival exhibition design.

Tags

Exhibition

Hand to Heart

A Pulse Built by Labor

Lolwa Al-Mulla

Graphic Design 2026

Tags

Exhibition

In 1949, Qatar’s first oil shipment left Umm Said, marking a turning point shaped by the labor of Qatari workers in Dukhan. Soon after, the installation of the first electric generator in Msheireb brought light to Doha and set the foundation for the city’s transformation. This thesis connects the laborers’ hands to the making of what became known as the Heart of Doha, framing their work as both physical effort and generative force.

The project takes the form of a wall-based exhibition that translates this history into a spatial visual narrative, where archival images and text are arranged across multiple scales. Through sequencing and layered graphics, the installation suggests the expansion and contraction of a beating heart, inviting viewers to trace how labor shaped the city’s growth while positioning the work as both historical interpretation and an exploration of archival exhibition design.

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