Thalatheen
Food and Beverage
2021
Food is a democratic medium that allows people from all walks of life to explore different cultures—discovering differences, similarities, and alternative ways of expression. When creating Thalatheen, the main goal was to use the power of food and drink to be educated—culturally and socially—while celebrating diversity. In today's world, it is too easy to forget that each random person is living a life as vivid and complex as our own, populated with their ambitions, friends, routines, worries, and inherited craziness.
Thalatheen was established to be where people can sit, relax, eat, and embrace cultures. Deeply rooted in the nuances and culture of Qatari heritage, this flagship space at the National Museum of Qatar was set to become a new platform for arts, innovation, culture, and education. It hoped to bring people from different backgrounds, age groups, and genders together through plant-based food. Engaging in society enhances individuals’ other qualities, which allow them to focus on a different mindset, turning them from consumers into innovators.
Client:
Enbat Holdings
Services:
Brand Strategy, Creative Ideation, Concept Generation, Creative Direction, Copy Writing, and Project Management
Credits:
Interior Design: Studio Formafatal
Brand Identity: Kobra
Concept + Creative Direction: T-SDA
Image credits:
Public Domain/Fair Use
Thalatheen was initially conceptualised in 2013 but under the name of Al Baraha, meaning courtyard in Arabic. Over the years, the concept went through many different iterations. Eventually, it became Thalatheen in 2015, but with the idea of becoming an annual publication that would promote and showcase 30 changemakers each year. In 2019, Thalatheen was reimagined into a physical space that would encourage plant based living, arts, and culture.
Thalatheen is the Arabic word for thirty (30), a pertinent number in Qatar. While 70 per cent of the population are under 30 years old, Qatar is also striving—and making headway—towards its country’s 2030 transformative vision. When creating this concept, the main goal was to centre every decision around the number 30. From our perspective, we want to increase the number of people following plant-based diets by the year 2030 by 30 per cent. We knew that persuading an entire nation to give up eating meat may not be realistic in the short term. Still, if we had a concept that would physically embody what it meant to follow a plant-based diet, we would have an easy and accessible way to showcase the benefits of following a plant-based diet.
As concept creators who ideated this concept, it was our belief that it’s a responsibility to tell people about their relationship with food. We knew the importance of food, especially culturally, and the power that food can have, especially when starting a conversation. As a result, our vision was to re-think the role of a cafe or restaurant and create a space that was more than just food, but rather an area that manifested the term: food for thought.
As people become more concerned about sustainability, biodiversity and agriculture, we have to be educators to help people understand. Thalatheen was a safe place, free from dairy, meat, additives etc. Thalatheen would also discuss the politics and pleasures of food; this was inspired by Thalatheen’s roots—first conceived as a publication meant that everything must tell a story.
Thalatheen opened in 2021 at the National Museum of Qatar, however some aspects of the original concept have not been fully implemented. In addition to being a cafe, Thalatheen was meant to become an institute that would graduate thirty ideas and programs a year that focus on innovation, entrepreneurship, cultural development, design and food. The idea was for the cafe to become a cultural podium that would work to inspire the citizens of Qatar. Every global city demands a cultural sanctuary; offering visitors a platform to express their cultural and artistic talent where both like-minded intellectuals and travellers can come and reflect.
Thalatheen was created to be that sanctuary.