Levi Hammett named inaugural director of Kinetic Imaging program

Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) is pleased to introduce the inaugural director of its new Bachelor of Fine Arts in Kinetic Imaging program, Levi Hammett.

The new undergraduate program is designed to cater to the growing demand for time-based media-oriented education with specializations such as interaction and game design. Areas of study will include moving image (video, animation, virtual reality/augmented reality (VR/AR)), sound design, computational design (encompassing creative coding, parametric design, and AI), interaction design, and 3D computer art and design.

The new department will collaborate with and receive support from the Kinetic Imaging department at the University’s home campus in Richmond which is ranked number five in the new media category by US News & World Report.

Levi Hammet was born in a cabin without electricity in the forested mountains of northern California. Hammett developed a deep appreciation for the dynamic unpredictability of the natural landscape. This appreciation evolved into a creative practice that uses design to explore the relationship between humans and their physical environment in terms of space and sense of place as well as the influence of this relationship on the creation of culture.

These abstract concepts are made concrete through a creative methodology that utilizes reductive processes involving photography, graphic and physical form, and the appropriation and transformation of existing visual languages. The resulting design products function as physical interfaces, which use ambiguity and open interpretation to engage users in a deeper understanding of their physical world.

Hammet’s work spans a range of projects which include a series of hand-made Islamic carpets that explore the contemporary culture of the Arabian Peninsula, an interactive installation for the World War II Visitors Center in Normandy, France, and a series of experiments with performance based interactive typography. His work has been distributed as digital applications, published in online collections, and exhibited in Europe, the Middle-East, South America, and the United States.

Levi Hammett received his MFA in Graphic Design from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2006 and a BFA in Graphic Design from Oregon State University in 2003. He has most recently been Assistant Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University in Doha, Qatar where he teaches a range of design classes including interactive media and game design.

VCUarts Qatar was established in 1998 through a partnership with Qatar Foundation, and is the international branch campus of Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of the Arts, a top-ranked art and design school in Richmond, Virginia in the United States.

VCUarts Qatar is celebrating a fruitful 25-year alliance between VCU and Qatar Foundation that underscores the commitment of each institution to excellence, inquiry, discovery and innovation in a global setting.

VCUarts Qatar offers students the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in kinetic imaging, graphic design, interior design, and painting and printmaking, a Bachelor of Arts degree in art history, and a Master of Fine Arts degree in design. A vibrant community with global reach, VCUarts Qatar promises to instill in students a lifelong passion for education and the arts.