Exhibition of AMO / OMA in Doha “Countryside: A Place to Live, Not to Leave”

The exhibition “Countryside: A Place to Live, Not to Leave” by AMO supports OMA  in Doha explores how life outside cities is changing today. It looks at the countryside not as a forgotten or outdated place, but as an important area for new ideas, environmental solutions, and future ways of living. Building on earlier research led by Rem Koolhaas and Samir Bantal, the exhibition brings attention to a large geographic zone called “The Arc” which stretches from Africa to China and includes Qatar.

Through installations, research spaces, and outdoor experimental fields, the exhibition shows how technology, agriculture, culture, and nature come together to shape the future of rural life. It invites visitors to rethink the countryside as a place full of potential, innovation, and sustainable possibilities—offering an alternative to the usual city-focused narrative.

AMO is the research and creative think tank of OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture). While OMA focuses on architectural design and building projects, AMO works beyond traditional architecture. It explores culture, politics, technology, media, energy, and social transformation. They work on how these forces shape the built environment. Founded under the direction of Rem Koolhaas, AMO supports OMA with strategic research and develops independent projects such as publications, exhibitions, scenography, and long-term investigations.

Designed by project architect Yotam Ben Hur, the spaces are presented by Qatar Museums with QFFD, MoECC, Hassad Food, Kahramaa. and include a variety of installations, research spaces, and outdoor experimental fields. The exhibition is presented across two venues in Doha: the Qatar Preparatory School and the National Museum of Qatar. Exhibition will remain open to the public until June 30, 2026. It explores how the identity of rural areas is changing today, especially as global shifts, new technologies, and environmental challenges shape the way people live outside cities.

Instead of seeing the countryside as a place that is left behind, the exhibition shows it as an active and important part of our future, offering new possibilities for sustainable living, innovative farming, and alternative ways of building communities. Through collaborations with international academic partners, the project presents the countryside as a space for experimentation and long-term environmental solutions, suggesting that future human habitation may depend greatly on these rural territories rather than on traditional, city-centered models.

The exhibition highlights a broad geographical area, The Arc that stretches from Africa to China and includes Qatar. The corridor focuses on Southern Africa, East Africa, Qatar, Central Asia, and Eastern China, and addresses mountainous geographies and limited urbanization.

Two-Venue Structure: Research + Public Engagement

1. National Museum of Qatar

At the National Museum of Qatar designed by Jean Nouvel opened in 2019, the exhibition introduces the idea of The Arc and explains its cultural and ecological background. The exhibition held in this excellent building, one of Qatar’s landmarks with its nested disc-shaped geometry representing the desert rose crystal formation we know, includes a large portion of the research completed by AMO. This space sets up the themes of the exhibition, positioning the Arc as a dynamic region where rapid transformation and tradition coexist.

2. Qatar Preparatory School: The Experimental Hub

In this section of the exhibition at Qatar Preparatory School, classrooms are transformed into active laboratories for research, production, and discussion. It’s designed as an interactive extension of the exhibition, with a more experimental and pragmatic dimension. The school becomes a place for workshops, lectures, and collaborations that bring together students, teachers, and invited experts. In this environment, learning and the exhibition merge as participants work together to develop new ideas, test methods, and share knowledge, making the Preparatory School a vibrant and interactive part of the exhibition.

Outdoor Experimental Grounds

The outdoor grounds of the exhibition act as real-life testing areas for new forms of desert agriculture. In these open spaces, teams experiment with hydroponics, vertical farming, and innovative irrigation systems to see how these methods can work in Qatar’s challenging climate.

The results of these trials are documented and gradually shaped into a collective manifesto, which continues to grow and change as new findings appear. Overall, the outdoor areas function as practical laboratories, helping to adapt global farming research to local desert conditions and explore future models of sustainable food production.

The all exhibition shows that the countryside is full of new ideas and possible futures. It helps us see rural areas as important places for innovation, learning, and sustainable living. If you want to explore these ideas yourself, you can visit the exhibition in Doha until June 30, 2026. For more information, you can visit the official website.

Source: Qatar Museums (qm.org.qa)