Speaking at the Culture Summit Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, Nora Al-Dabal, executive director of Arts and Creative Industries at the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), described AlUla as “an open living museum.”
Al-Dabal participated in a panel discussion titled “Culture and Creative Ecosystems: Future Foresight” in Guadalajara, Mexico, along with Victoria Contreras, CEO of Conecta Cultura, and Chris Dercon, director of the Rmn-Grand Palais in Paris. The discussion was moderated by Dr. Tom Fleming, an international authority on the creative economy.
Regarding the process of reimagining heritage, Al-Dabal said in response to a question, “I think AlUla is an open living museum and part of this journey is to engage creatives both locally and globally as well as the extremely truly inspirational countryside that brings heritage, natural order, and creativity all together.
“And the discussion between those three is quite significant. Therefore, the interaction between the creatives and their environment is now more about how the work communicates to its environment than about the work itself. Because you cannot ignore the terrain, which engulfs and overtakes you, you must, however, also express yourself. So, in my opinion, it’s that conversation and connection that comes through.
Reviving AlUla as a significant artistic and cultural attraction for tourists from across the world and enhancing the local community are both goals of the RCU.
Al-Dabal spoke on the value of sustainability at AlUla in relation to this. We have a system that’s being developed to harvest monuments as works of art, she added, referring especially to Wadi AlFann, one of AlUla’s most important cultural treasures.
“Its sustainability is a big part of the conversation with the artist,” continued Al-Dabal, “and it’s basically the artist’s representation of the outdoors, bringing design and art together in a way that safeguards nature and making sure that you’re leaving no trace or little intervention within this larger context.”