AlUla Design: a territory as a creative partner
Thursday 10 Sep 2026 from 6pm to 7:30pm
Free on booking
Talk in english
From the palm-leaf weaving workshop at Madrasat Addeera to the international residencies at Design Space AlUla, how does a region become a source of inspiration and research for contemporary design?
In AlUla, creativity isn’t imported—it’s shaped by the land itself. The landscapes, local materials, and traditional skills—from weaving palm fronds (sa'af) to building with mud brick (ṭīn), as well as stone carving, ceramics, and traditions related to incense—are inspiring a new generation of designers and creators.
On the occasion of this event, Hamad AlHomiedan, Director of Arts and Creative Industries at the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU); Simon Garcia, Director of Cultural Development at AFALULA; along with designer Aseel Alamoudi and the bahraini - danish studio—all participants in AlUla’s design residency programs—discuss how the initiatives developed in AlUla —the AlUla Design Residency, the AlUla Design Awards, and the Designathon—foster a fruitful dialogue between vernacular craftsmanship and contemporary practices, which has become one of the defining features of today’s Saudi creative scene.
This encounter between heritage and contemporary creation is also at the heart of the exhibition Life of Forms, informing both its works and its theme.
Talk moderated by AD Middle East.