Saudi Arabia to Participate at London Design Biennale with ‘Good Water' Pavilion
Set to run from June 5-29, the exhibition highlights the hidden costs and economies of water, inviting visitors to reconsider their relationship with water.
Curated by a multidisciplinary design team including Alaa Tarabzouni, Aziz Jamal, Dur Kattan and Fahad bin Naif, Saudi Arabia's pavilion will showcase several artworks revolving around water.
'The pavilion uses familiar elements to draw attention to water's hidden economies,' said the participants Tarabzouni, Jamal, Kattan and bin Naif in a joint statement.
Interestingly, the artworks will challenge the traditional concepts of access, distribution and the value of water under the supervision of the Architecture and Design Commission.
'Saudi Arabia's return to the London Design Biennale marks another chapter in our commitment to design as a tool for dialogue and cultural exchange. We look forward to engaging in conversations on creativity, innovation, and systems thinking during our fourth participation in the event,' Sumaya Al-Sulaiman, CEO of the Architecture and Design Commission, said.
The Saudi pavilion will feature a sabeel, a traditional water fountain deeply rooted in Saudi heritage.
This fountain serves as a symbol of hospitality and generosity in the Saudi culture offering complimentary water to anyone who passes by.
In the light of this, 'Good Water' reintroduces the idea of the fountain, not only as a gesture of goodwill, but also as a significant question: Who pays for 'free' water? What is its true cost?
'The pavilion encourages visitors to drink with awareness, to acknowledge the price, and to recognize that while the cost of good water may be borne by someone else, it ultimately affects everyone. By relocating the sabeel to the London Design Biennale—where water scarcity is not an immediate concern—we reframe it as an object of scrutiny, making the invisible visible and the passive active,' the statement added.
The Kingdom previously participated at the 4th London Design Biennale in 2023 through a pavilion titled 'Woven' curated by Ruba Alkhaldi and Lojain Rafaa.
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