ABU DHABI: “AlUla is an open living museum,” the executive director of Arts and Creative Industries at the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), Nora Al-Dabal, said at the Culture Summit Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
During a panel titled “Culture and Creative Ecosystems: Future Foresight,” moderated by Dr. Tom Fleming, an international expert on creative economy and director of Tom Fleming Consultancy, Al-Dabal spoke alongside fellow panelists Chris Dercon, director of Rmn-Grand Palais in Paris, and Victoria Contreras, CEO of Conecta Cultura, in Guadalajara, Mexico.
When asked about the process of reimagining heritage, Al-Dabal said: “I think AlUla is an open living museum and part of this journey is to engage creatives locally and internationally, as well as the very inspiring landscape that brings heritage, nature and creativity all together.
“And I think the conversation between those three is quite important. So the creatives’ conversation with the surroundings, it’s no longer about the work itself but how that speaks to its surroundings. Because the landscape overwhelms and overtakes and you cannot ignore it. But at the same time, you have to express yourself. So I think it’s that discussion and relationship that comes through.”
Part of the RCU’s mission is to reinvigorate the ancient site of AlUla as a prominent artistic and cultural destination for global visitors, as well as to enrich the local community.
Speaking to this, Al-Dabal also discussed the importance of sustainability at AlUla. “Speaking specifically about Wadi AlFann, which is one of AlUla’s key cultural assets, we have a method that’s being developed to harvest monuments as works of art,” she said.
Al-Dabal added: “Its sustainability is a big part of the conversation with the artist, it’s basically the artist’s reflection on the surroundings, bringing art and design together in a way that protects nature, and making sure that you’re leaving no trace or little intervention within this larger context.”