Public Programme, Islamic Arts Biennale Jeddah - Client: The Diriyah Biennale Foundation (2023)

This project saw the development and delivery (in partnership with National TalentS Company) of a comprehensive public programme of events and activities, that formed an integral part of the first Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah in 2023. The programme comprised 550 activities (including tours, talks, trails, workshops, performances and film screenings) and catered to 32,000 diverse audience members over 5 months. 16,500 of these were students from over 350 institutions. 255 knowledge providers and 27 artists provided 176 workshops, 25 performances, 23 masterclasses, and 4 childrens’ camps.

The aims of the programme were to deepen engagement with the arts of the Islamic world and specifically with the Awal Bayt Exhibition, including children, families, adults, specialists and non-specialists alike. We took participants on transformational journeys through the culture, art and heritage of the Islamic world, drawing on an international network of specialists. The programme focused on four overarching themes: the arts of the Islamic world from within, taking the past into the present, cultural connections, and the arts in professional practise.