Design in dialogue
This year’s AlUla Design Exhibition, ‘Material Witness: Celebrating Design From Within’ asks designers to explore heritage, craft and ambition through research-led practice.
Taking over Design Space AlUla from 16 January to 28 February, the AlUla Design Exhibition brings together works shaped by place and craft. At its core are projects developed through the AlUla Artist Residency Design Edition, alongside winning entries from the AlUla Design Award and the AlUla Designathon.
Overseen by Ali Alghazzawi, art initiative manager at the Royal Commission for AlUla, and Arnaud Morand, head of arts and creative industries at AFALULA, the AlUla Artist Residency sits within a broader constellation of initiatives. “Rather than one project, we now have a whole umbrella of design projects that feed into each other and empower each other,” says Alghazzawi.
In 2025, international designers engaged with AlUla’s material culture, from its geological palette to long-standing craft practices. After an intense, ten-day immersion of archaeological tours, community visits and workshops, the residency allows designers to settle in for up to three months of research and prototyping. “It’s 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,” says exhibition curator Dominique Petit-Frère.
Material Witness marks the first public presentation of the works from the residency, which will then go on to international design and art fairs. It is a starting point for a broader ambition. “We have a mission to show the design and craftsmanship of AlUla to the world,” says Alghazzawi. “For the designers, we want to empower them through that journey.”
