Oasis of Stories

In the artwork, I take the old town of AlUla as my starting point, a bridge between what came before and where we are today, a small town that sits cradled between architectural wonders and geographic phenomena, comfortable in its presence and empowered with its responsibility. I wanted to create a work that translates what this modest human structure symbolises in the greater narrative of the area and my country. The form of the artwork takes inspiration from the structure of the old town’s mud walls, a large spider web that sprawls in every direction with its center anchored by a large dark mountain. The town walls hug the huge sandstone cliff as a child hugs a parent. The inhabitants and their 800 homes probably used this cliff for protection, survival and strategic advantage. The layout of the artwork will imitate all East-facing walls in the town. These are walls that have see the sun rise and set on them for 2000 years.

Through a series of participatory workshops with the people of AlUla, I collected the stories and drawings that will be placed in the artwork. I led the workshops through a month long residency in AlUla, gathered men and women from all segments of society, in designated spaces, where we discussed history and storytelling and then I invited the participants to tell me the stories their grandmothers had told them. By placing this artwork in AlUla I am making an artistic statement about the osmosis of narratives, timeline collectiveness and most importantly self-discovery.

OASIS OF STORIES: A CREATIVE JOURNEY IN WADI ALFANN

 

Wadi AlFann, which will begin welcoming visitors in 2025, will be an awe-inspiring new destination for land art, where era defining works by some of the world’s most compelling artists will be permanently placed in the desert landscape of AlUla, an extraordinary desert region of north-west Saudi Arabia steeped in thousands of years of natural, historical and cultural heritage. AlDowayan is one of the first five commissioned artists to create permanent works, responding to the landscape and heritage of AlUla, taking inspiration from its dramatic topography, undulating vistas, remarkable geological structures and complex natural ecosystem, alongside fellow pioneers and Land Art icons Agnes Denes, Michael Heizer, Ahmed Mater and James Turrell.

 

THE PARTICIPATORY WORKSHOPS

 

"Oasis of Stories," currently in its design phase, took a significant step forward between September and November 2023. During this period, Manal AlDowayan and her team conducted 13 participatory workshops throughout AlUla, engaging over 700 local community members. These workshops invited participants to draw inspiration from their personal histories, creating drawings that will be etched into the walls of AlDowayan’s artwork in Wadi AlFann. 

 

Participants came from diverse backgrounds, including teachers, farmers, cooks, rangers, tour guides, artists, craftspeople, students, junior football teams, and members of the disabilities association.

 

The outcomes of these workshops were showcased in an exhibition curated by Iwona Blazwick, Lead Curator for Wadi AlFann, and published in a book named “Oasis of Stories. Manal AlDowayan and the people of AlUla”