Dhahran is set to take centre stage in the design world from November 1-4 when King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) hosts the sixth edition of Tanween, an annual event that promotes creativity, design, innovation and cultural exchange.

Thought leaders, cutting-edge brands, industry experts, students and professionals spanning architecture, graphic design, fashion, digital media and product design will take part in the event.

Running in parallel with the wider AlSharqiya Gets Creative movement – a community-based culture and creativity initiative of Ithra, Tanween is centred on the theme “scale”, where emerging and established designers from across the globe will showcase their work, engage in critical discussions and collaborate on innovative projects powered by a programme that includes a wide array of workshops, exhibitions, panels, performances interactive challenges and talks.

“Scale in design is a dynamic concept that spans macro to micro and encompasses ratios, sizes and relationships among various elements,” explains Mizna Al Zamil, Head of Creativity and Innovation.

“During Tanween 2023 we won’t simply be exploring scale quantitatively, we’ll be delving into its qualitative impacts. From architecture to fashion, graphic design and more, our experts and participants will collectively and interactively examine the diverse methods and perspectives of applying the concept of scale in various design fields.”

Mega Challenge

Motivated by humanitarian efforts to change lives of disenfranchised people, for the first time Tanween will challenge 75 innovators from across the globe to design sustainable and empowering solutions that improve the quality of life for refugees inside camps.

The Mega Challenge targets three tracks in need of innovative solutions: education, food security, and power. Winning ideas will be submitted by Ithra to a list of qualified sponsors for evaluation and, pending approval, implementation in selected refugee camps in Mauritania, Zimbabwe, Jordan, Indonesia, Ethiopia and Bangladesh.

Industry Thought Leaders to Provide Insight

The conference will also feature thought-provoking panels and talks headlined by industry luminaries. On opening day Carlos Moreno, Scientific Director of the Lab “Entrepreneurship Territory Innovation,” Sorbonne University will speak on "The Revolution of Proximities” while Creative Director Dan Goods who leads a team of creatives at a jet propulsion laboratory will discuss “Seeing the Unseen”.

Architect Carmelo Zappulla, Founder and Managing Director of the Barcelona-based studio External Reference will join Lebanese Product Designer Nada Debs and Ramzi Najjar, Chief Creative Director, DDB in providing participants with an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at their creative processes and tricks of the trade in a new program called “A Day With An Expert.”

Additionally, Isola, in collaboration with Ithra, will present Routes to Roots, a dynamic exhibition featuring live demonstrations and an exhibit with pieces created by 20 international designers that explore the power of scale in the realm of design celebrating those that preserve our heritage and the Earth.

Since its inception in 2018, Tanween has welcomed some 170,000 visitors and connected more than 75,000 change-making creatives, innovators and global subject matter experts in an environment designed to nurture creative potential, share ideas.

“Tanween continues to bolster Ithra’s growing reputation as a center for creativity, innovation and cultural exchange in Saudi Arabia, the Arab world and across the globe,” said Al Zamil.

“Ithra was built to transform today’s possibilities into the realities of tomorrow by providing year-round purpose-driven programming that enriches, educates and inspires. Our flagship creativity conference Tanween continues that tradition by connecting risk-taking creatives, change-making innovators and global subject matter experts to expand ideas, create new opportunities and nurture creative potential.” – TradeArabia News Service