Rooted in the pearl diving folklore of the fisherman communities in the Eastern Provinces of Saudi Arabia, the Pavilion experience transports visitors through the meditative qualities of the songs.

An immersive installation honoring the tradition of pearl diving, known to have contributed heavily to the economy of the Eastern Coast of the Arabian Peninsula. The project engages visitors through an experience of sound, time, and the jubilation of locating a pearl. Soundwaves are the essence, sourced from the song El Yamal, a song chanted to release energy to keep the divers motivated. The sea in the song is an analogy for the varied emotional states that the “بحار”* endures. The energy of the song echoes throughout the space causing the vessels to vibrate and bring life to a song now long gone, as though to bring past into present. The structural elements within the space are the direct representation of the audio waves of El Yamal, transforming the song into a solid state, to carry the song into the future.
*men of the sea

Design Team: Lina Saleh, Ahaad Alamoudi & Sana Alabdulwahed
Supported by Ithra

Lina Saleh is a Saudi-Italian product designer passionate about material exploration and craftsmanship. Her work focuses on using design to understand cultural and human experiences, challenging conventional notions to shape the future of interaction. Her passion for fine dining led her into several collaborations with London-based chefs to create multi-sensorial experience that address the future of dining and plate ware. Lina obtained a BA from Central Saint Martins and an MA from Royal College of Art.
www.linasaleh.com

Ahaad Alamoudi is a multidisciplinary designer whose works involve ethnographical studies that trace the intersection between past and contemporary histories of Saudi Arabia. Ahaad is interested in how communities measure and promote heritage through archiving, and using the internet as a way to explore the conflicting representations of Arabs today. Ahaad has a BA in Graphic Design from Dar Al-Hekma University and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Print at the Royal College of Art in London.
www.ahaadalamoudi.com

Sana Alabdulwahed is a designer is currently based in Dammam, where she works as a design lecturer. Alabdulwahed created El_Masnad Lounge Carpet, which is a Silver A’ Design Award Winner for Furniture, Decorative Items and Homeware Design Category in 2015. El_Masnad, Lounge Carpet, inspired by the way we, Saudis, lean on Masnads. It celebrates the Middle East leisure lifestyle.
www.sanaalabdulwahed.com

About Abwab
Translated as ‘doors’ in Arabic, Abwab is an exhibition, architectural installation and a highlight of Dubai Design Week. It's the only initiative of its kind to offer a platform for design talent from across the Middle East.

For the fourth edition, located at the centre of Dubai Design District (d3), Abwab will host a collection of design experiences drawn from five communities in the Middle East. Two designers are invited from each place to collaborate and produce works situated in dedicated pavilions related to the theme: ‘Between the Lines’.