2017
Our Inspiration
In 2017, our founder Reema moved back to Qatar after earning her Architecture and practicing as an architect at The Office of Metropolitian Architecture, first in their Dubai office and then in their Rotterdam office in the Netherlands. Upon returning, she craved working with clay, which she was introduced to Architecture school. She couldn't find a pottery studio in Qatar and decided to set up her own. So she left Architectural practice, signed up for an MFA in design at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar and decided to set up Clay Encounters.
2018
Our Opening
Clay Encounters opened in August of 2018, at the Pearl in Qanat Quartier in a 64m2 space. Reema's intention wasn't to have a big business, the aim was a small independent ceramic design studio to practice her craft, revive the craft of pottery in Qatar and to build a community of makers, designers and artists around the studio.
2019
The Beginning
The community sensed the passion and love for pottery at Clay Encounters and people started to stop by to shop, see the space and sign up for classes. All of our classes would fill up in minutes. We also began to go out into the community to introduce the craft and our work at markets, events, and exhibitions.
Maison et Objet | Paris Exhibition + Panel
We were invited by Qatar Museums to exhibit our work at the Maison et Objet in Paris. As part of that exhibition, Reema was invited to join a panel.
2020
The Pandemic
The pandemic was a challenging time for everyone. Like most places in the world, Qatar implemented strict lockdown and store closure. Despite the uncertainty we faced of not being able to teach classes, we shifted our focus and took it as a chance to improve our pottery skills by designing, making, and selling pots online.
Our Design Collaborations & Projects
We were very fortunate to have collaborated with several cafes and designers during the worst of the pandemic. We treat all projects as creative collaborations. The back and forth design discussions keep us inspired and push us to make things we wouldn’t typically make.
2021
Studio expansion
Amidst the pandemic, we were excited to have expanded our studio into two beautiful open spaces in the Pearl that serve our members and classes. Seeing our studio based community of makers had always been one of the main aims and we are so grateful for it! Seeing the revival of the craft of pottery in the local culture before our eyes is super exciting.
Venice Biennale
Temporal Reliquaries Exhibition
Collaborating with Doha-based makers and industrial partners, graduate design students and faculty from VCUarts Qatar produced these two-part ceramic and marble artifacts during carefully sequenced workshops in 2020. Temporal Reliquaries, the projects feature enduring materials, but celebrate ephemera. Project responses include a didactic piggy bank, a pair of memorial urns for beloved pets, and a vessel for perfuming the air with scented oil. The collection showcases the range and ingenuity of designers responding to a structured brief and working within a fixed methodology.
MFA in Design Studies & establishing Clay Encounters
I founded Clay Encounters and started my full time 2 year MFA in Design studies at VCU Qatar in August of 2018. It had been a fantastic yet tough journey that has made the past 2 years super rewarding. My thesis has been awarded the contemporary craft category in the Global Graduate Show 2020.
2022
Collections
2022 involved extensive time in designing our own collections for our shop, with each piece crafted purposefully.
One of our favorite collection item we've designed is the blue clay candle jars that we've named the "Yaffa Candle".
We associate this blue with Palestine and specifically with Yaffa. The scent of these candles reference Yaffa’s orange trees
Second Branch
Opening our Second Studio in Old Doha Port
In the early months of 2022, we were approached by the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy to set up a new studio to showcase local craft and design in time for the World Cup. I never wanted another location, but as soon as I set foot in the space I knew I had to have it.
My grandpa visiting the second Clay Encounter branch, the Old Doha Port
One of the first people I took to the our second branch was my grandfather! He lives 10 minutes from the location and as we drove towards it, he began to tell me of his memories of the place and what it was like over 50 years ago.
Brian Dougan visits the studio - 2022
My professor in architecture school who taught me pottery and inspired me to open Clay Encounters, visits the studio and teaches his signature carving techniques, how to make cups and how to pull handles.