Seeing Things Through a New, Sustainable Lens

Written by Maryam Al Tamimi, Exhibition Coordinator III, M7 – Qatar Museums (Qatar, ITP 2026)

As I enter the final week of my ITP journey, I find it hard to believe that these weeks of learning, sharing and discovering together are already coming to an end. My name is Maryam Al Tamimi, an Exhibition Designer and Coordinator at M7 in Qatar, I joined the ITP hoping to broaden my knowledge of museum practice and return home with new ideas and perspectives. Looking back, I have gained far more than I expected.

I was especially excited for our Environmental Responsibility session, led by Elise Foster from the Design Museum. Sustainability is a subject close to my interests and connects with my ITP object project, so the timing of this session felt perfect, just before filming my object presentation.

The day was packed with information, but what stood out to me was not simply the facts and figures. It was the idea of seeing the work we already do through a new, more sustainable lens and asking ourselves whether we could do things differently. Through case studies such as the Design Museum’s Waste Age, we explored how sustainability can be considered from the very beginning of an exhibition, from the materials we choose to what happens to them when an exhibition ends.

I especially enjoyed the activities throughout the day. Working together, mapping our thoughts and exchanging experiences made the learning much more memorable. A simple example that caught my attention was a team deciding together to use reusable coffee cups. It reminded me that change does not always have to begin with something enormous. Sometimes, the smallest step is still a beginning.

Towards the end of the session, Elise shared an idea that I found particularly powerful. In meetings, she likes to leave one chair empty, a space for the future. For me, that simple image captured so much of what we had been discussing throughout the day. Sustainability is ultimately about thinking beyond what we need today and remembering what, and who, comes after us.

As I prepare to leave the ITP, one question from the session feels especially important: What will we do when we get home? I may not return with all the answers, but I will return thinking differently, questioning more, and remembering to always leave a little space for the future.