The exhibition reflects the deep connection between design and place, emphasising process over spectacle, by bringing together objects, prototypes and material research from Madrasat Addeera alongside the works by five participants from the AlUla Artist Residency– Design Edition 2025, as well as winning and notable projects from the AlUla Design Award 2025 and the AlUla Designathon.

As part of the fifth edition of the AlUla Arts Festival, running from 16 January to 14 February, this exhibition highlights AlUla as a vibrant hub for cultural exchange, creativity and innovation, positioning design as a vital mode of dialogue and place-based practice.

The exhibition is curated by Dominique Petit-Frère and Majedah Alduligan, and artistically led by Ali Alghazzawi and Arnaud Murand. It positions design as a situated practice shaped by climate, landscape and lived experience. It also presents a space for visitors to encounter how material, craft and creative enquiry shape environments and experiences, while celebrating the diversity and vitality of design in AlUla and Saudi Arabia.

The focus on design at this year’s festival reflects its essential place in AlUla’s ongoing journey. From urban spaces to crafted objects, it is rooted in the landscapes, histories and communities that shape the region, offering pathways for innovation that honour the past while envisioning AlUla’s future as a globally recognized center for creative excellence.

Hamad Alhomiedan, Head of Arts AlUla, said: “Design is integral to the narrative of the AlUla Arts Festival, offering the world a perspective on creativity that is both rooted in heritage and responsive to contemporary challenges. ‘Material Witness: Celebrating Design From Within’ exemplifies our commitment to nurturing a vibrant creative ecosystem through residencies, awards, and collaborative platforms to create opportunities and elevate the work of local and regional designers, while attracting leading international talents to engage with our landscapes, materials and traditions. This convergence of ideas and practices positions AlUla as a catalyst for innovation and a global destination for design excellence.”

Dominique Petit-Frère, Curator, said: “Material Witness: Celebrating Design From Within brings together a constellation of ideas, materials and voices that speak to the evolving identity of design in Saudi Arabia and the wider region. The exhibition reflects a community of designers engaging deeply with AlUla’s landscapes, heritage and craft traditions, transforming research and experimentation into works that carry local resonance and global relevance. It signals the strength of a growing design ecosystem, one that values innovation, honors cultural memory and nurtures dialogue across disciplines and borders.”

As AlUla’s first centre for arts and design, Madrasat Addeera serves as a dynamic platform where creativity and research converge, with traditional art and nature engaged in an ongoing dialogue. Drawing inspiration from the geometric forms and distinctive patterns found in AlUla’s natural environment, the school integrates these motifs into contemporary design practice. Through its artist residency programme and the sustained research undertaken by its artisans, these studies are translated into innovative works that seamlessly blend heritage craftsmanship with new artistic exploration. In doing so, Madrasat Addeera underscores the interplay between observation, creativity and design, offering visitors a unique perspective on how nature continues to inspire and shape art in the region.

They will also explore the works of the five designers who participated in the three-month AlUla Artist Residency - Design Edition 2025 in partnership with AFALULA, the French Agency for AlUla Development, from April to July 2025. Under the theme of Designing Within, the works were produced following a period of research and immersion in the rich landscapes, heritage and craft traditions of AlUla, which saw the designers develop prototypes that push the boundaries of materials sourced from the ancient oasis. These range from palm tree fibers and natural dyes to mineral pigments, stone and even reclaimed industrial byproducts, all of which reimagine AlUla’s resources through contemporary design.

Participating designers from AlUla Artist Residency– Design Edition include:

● Founded by Yasmine Sfar and Mehdi Kebaier, the Franco-Tunisian Altin Studio reimagines Tunisian craft as a living, evolving practice, merging material sensitivity with technical precision and collaborating closely with local artisans.

● Jeddah-based architect and designer Aseel Alamoudi’s work moves fluidly across scales and mediums, combining material experimentation with spatial interventions inspired by place.

● Belgian designer and material researcher Ori Orisun Merhav explores bio-inclusive futures through craft, ecology and technology, notably developing 3D-printed shellac forms in collaboration with scientific research labs.

● Ivorian furniture designer Paul Moustapha Ledron blends heritage and contemporary form, drawing inspiration from Malian, Martiniquais and German cultural legacies to create works of enduring resonance.

● Founded by Kevin Rouff and Paco Böckelmann, Studio ThusThat is a research-driven design studio based in the Netherlands, interrogating industrial byproducts and reframing waste as a material of possibility in objects, interiors and installations exhibited internationally.

Focused on urban installations and furniture for and from AlUla, each project draws on local resources, material innovation and traditional know-how, translating the region’s distinct cultural fabric into functional and poetic design. The designers were selected by an international jury presided over by Humberto Campana, Co-founder of Campana Brothers, alongside leading figures from the global design community.

Material Witness: Celebrating Design From Within will also showcase winning projects and shortlisted works from the AlUla Design Award 2025. Selected through an international open call on the theme The Ingenuity of the Human Hand, this initiative celebrates new forms of design thinking connected to AlUla’s ancient natural and cultural heritage, uniting emerging and established talents from Saudi Arabia, the region and around the world.

Additionally, AlUla Design Store will showcase selected projects from the inaugural AlUla Designathon, a three-day creative sprint held from 21 to 23 November 2025. Bringing together the region’s most promising emerging voices, the Designathon presents an incubator-like environment where participants move from concept to presentation in just 72 hours, guided by leading mentors.

Together, these initiatives celebrate emerging and established regional and international design practices, centered on context, experimentation and cultural resonance. As a centrepiece of the fifth edition of the AlUla Arts Festival, ‘Material Witness: Celebrating Design From Within’ underscores AlUla’s unique position as a living cultural laboratory, a place where design continually redefines the relationships between material, memory and imagination.

‘Material Witness: Celebrating Design From Within’ will be complemented by a public programme of talks and workshops during the AlUla Arts Festival, inviting festival visitors, design professionals, students and the local community to engage with themes of material experimentation, craft and innovation. These sessions will offer rare insights into the creative processes behind the works and the transformative influence of AlUla’s environment.