Ithra hosts Tanween’s seventh edition themed ‘Fail Forward’ in Saudi Arabia
- 02 Nov 2024
Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer
The 7th Edition of Tanween, Saudi Arabia’s leading design conference, has begun, returning to The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra), and inviting global creatives to embrace growth through setbacks (Oct. 31 – Nov. 6). This year’s Tanween theme ‘Fail Forward’ encourages designers to embrace an innovative mindset, when faced with creative challenges. The edition also features the unveiling of the second collaborative exhibition between Ithra and Italian design platform, Isola. Ithra’s Theater has been turned into a space for exchange, knowledge sharing and cutting-edge design showcases, as the conference explores how obstacles act as catalysts for more innovative creations, advancing and pushing the boundaries of design practices.
Through a series of panel discussions, workshops and exhibitions led by a diverse group of designers and experts, Tanween aims to foster cross-cultural exchanges and establish fruitful creative opportunities, to reinforce Ithra’s commitment to support and promote the next generation of creatives in the region and beyond. Featuring inspiring designers, provocative thought leaders and bold innovators from around the globe, the meet provides insights into their creative journeys, revealing how setbacks and challenges enabled them to arrive at new breakthroughs.
Tanween Stage Speakers are Nawaf Nahar Al-Nassar, Founder of 3N JEDDAH Studio and member of the Saudi Art Council and the Master of Ceremony for the 2024 edition of Tanween; Ross Lovegrove, industrial designer whose works are featured at the MOMA and the Centre Pompidou; Michelle Jafery, design Fellow, IDEO & Co-Founder, Friday Gallery; Guillaume Credoz, CEO of Post Industrial Crafts; Javier Pena, Director of Concéntrico, the Logroño International Festival of Design and Architecture; Nojoud Alsudairi, Saudi artist, architect and Co-Founder of Syn Architects; Elias Soueidi, Lebanese designer and founder of coaching community Wolfpack summits; Dr. Garvin Goepel, designer and lecturer in architecture at the University of Hong Kong; Ila Colombo, Creative Director and member of the Architecture Program Advisory Board at the American University in Dubai; Dr. Kristof Crolla, architect & Associate Dean at the University of Hong Kong; Nada Hakeem, CEO and Co-Founder of Wetheloft, a leading Saudi strategic brand agency; and Yasser Alhumaikani, multidisciplinary designer and Creative Director at Saudi brand identity agency, YaStudio.
Tanween Workshops facilitators are Maggie Jonk, anthropologist, fashion designer and Co-Founder of Dubai design studio OE-O; Anna Revuelto, Spanish graphic designer and member of the artistic collective, Eclipse; Hernan Hoentsch, French/Bolivian product designer and project lead at Saudi creative incubator, AlMashtal; Gabriela Sánchez, Mexican-Dutch Creative Director; Jeske Spee, Head of Brand Materials for the African fashion sector at Vlisco Netherlands; Wael Morcos, graphic designer and partner at New-York based studio Morcos Key; and Sara Kanoo, Bahrain-based architect listed as one of the leading Middle Eastern Women Designers by AD Middle East.
Tanween ‘Day With an Expert’ includes Farah AlHumaidhi, Forbes awarded creative entrepreneur and designer; Rana Salam, British/Lebanese designer, art director, curator at Dubai Design Week; and Sebastian Errazuriz, New York based Tech designer and public artist whose works were exhibited at Carnegie Museum of Art. Tanween continues to showcase a number of its initiatives at key international design events. For example, at this year’s Dubai Design Week (Nov. 5-10), Ithra presents ‘Iwan’, the winning installation of last year’s Tanween Pavilion Challenge, alongside an exhibition of storytelling experiences using immersive technologies, developed during Ithra’s latest Creative Solutions residency.
Dubai Design Week concludes the international tour of exhibitions and design showcases from last year’s Tanween, which included Dutch Design Week, Milan Design Week and Concéntrico Festival. “Each year,” says Nourah Alzamil, Head of Programs, Ithra, “Tanween draws in more international collaborations and ever more ambitious opportunities for designers from the region to nurture talent and drive innovation and new ways of thinking in the design industry. Through the diverse perspectives that converge at Tanween, the conference and design showcases promote open and fruitful dialogues between creatives from all levels of experience and backgrounds which we at Ithra believe to be the key to progress, in the design sector and beyond.”
Programming this year also includes the Tanween Mega Challenge, which has set its focus on enriching the pilgrim’s experience during Hajj; a showcase of the winning projects of this year’s Tanween Challenges across four categories — pavilion, fashion, furniture, and graphic design — seeking to improve the balance between human activities and the planet’s biodiversity; Creative Solutions Residency programme, a dedicated multisensory exhibition of the six ground-breaking immersive technology experiences designed by emerging storytellers during their month-long residency with Ithra’s Immersive Lab; and Tanween International Exhibit titled ‘Behind the Curtains: Scenes of Craft’, co–curated by Ithra and Italian design platform Isola, enabling visitors to immerse themselves in the creative process through workshops and revealing the methods required to develop the creations.
Since 2018, Tanween has served as Ithra’s most impactful annual event dedicated to design. With nearly 300,000 visitors, the conference spotlights Ithra as a global design platform. Ithra is a world-class destination, called “the beating heart” of Saudi Arabia’s creative and culture industry, contributing to its prosperity by enabling talent, supporting content production, and encouraging cross-cultural exchange. Ithra is Saudi Aramco’s most ambitious CSR initiative and the largest cultural contributor to the Kingdom. Through programmes, workshops, performances, events, exhibitions and other initiatives, Ithra creates quality experiences that bring together culture, innovation and knowledge, designed for global appeal. Ithra’s components include the Idea Lab, Library, Theater, Museum, Cinema, Great Hall, Energy Exhibit, Children’s Museum and Ithra Tower.
