His passion for different backgrounds and disciplines, in order to, ability to bring together these artworks and loan technology is directly hopefully, diversify and enrich the experience of them to institutions around the world.” Despite the linked to his enthusiasm the students and faculty, so that their research is apprehension felt by many collections in the area for global exchange. “For applicable to the real world.” While passing on about loaning out their work, the Foundation has me, technology has always his own knowledge, he also absorbs a great deal gone a long way towards putting those fears to been a portal to information, it’s a from the students with whom he regularly meets. rest, while inspiring other tangible changes. “I knowledge tool that has intrigued me “When I see them digging deep into the human see more people making websites, more collecover the last two and a half decades.” As a genome or trying to overcome the disabilities that tors and collections willing to loan their works, member of the Global Commission on Internet human beings can experience, it renews my faith more investments in literature about exhibitions, Governance, which in June, 2016 released a guide in humanity and in the world.” A bridge is only whereas before, exhibitions would come and go aimed at showing individuals, with, in some cases, almost no governments, and corporations proof that they even happened.” how they might best use the When I see students digging deep into the human genome It’s in the very nature of transInternet, he persists in his perenor trying to overcome the disabilities that human beings can lation that Al-Qassemi’s work nial role as a bridger of cultures, experience, it renews my faith in humanity and in the world. is never quite finished: there will striving to create a space in always be more groups with which peoples and countries can which to connect, more cultures safely meet and engage in diato understand, more revolutions to publicize so logue. “We need to prevent the fragmentation of as useful as the people it helps draw together. that full and accurate accounts are not lost to histhe Internet. You can’t have these isolated converOtherwise, it’s a bit like the tree that falls in the tory. As his endeavors overlap, serving as larger sations, where Ugandans and Kenyans only talk forest with no one around: poignant, to be sure, and smaller iterations of each other, the ways in to each other and Latin Americans only speak to but perhaps not entirely relevant. which they make one another possible echo this other Latin Americans; it doesn’t work that way Six years ago, Al-Qassemi founded the Barjeel sense of infinite prospect. “The money I make anymore.” Art Foundation, an independent initiative that investing in global stock markets goes into buyThis thread extends into his work as a Fellow of manages, preserves, and exhibits his collection of ing art and I use my social media to disseminate the MIT Media Lab, an interdisciplinary research Arabic art, in an effort to develop the region’s art and post information, which I also write about space that devotes itself to projects that merge scene and expose its artistic output to the interin different publications. All of the activities that technology, multimedia, the sciences, art, and national community. He describes the foundation I’m involved in are part of a virtuous circle.” The design. “The Director, Joi Ito’s, idea is that you as “an extension of my social commentary. It’s bridge that is Al-Qassemi continues to reach out, don’t want all these super genius kids and faculty another way of tweeting or writing articles. I’m always hoping to find another person, waiting to work in a bubble. He’s chosen Fellows from not an artist myself but I’ve been blessed with the and willing, on the other side. 8
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