Saudi Design Week 2017 will explore the theme of “design in motion”

Dezeen promotion: Saudi Design Week returns to Saudi Arabia‘s capital Riyadh for its fourth edition next month.

The programme will run from 5 to 8 October at the new King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Centre, which was designed by the late Zaha Hadid.

The event will bring together over 50 designers, both local and international, with the aim of establishing the region as an emerging design hub.

It will encompass a main exhibition, workshops and special installations. There will also be a design conference, with speakers including Zaha Hadid Architects director Patrik Schumacher and British designer Dominic Wilcox.

Designers will respond to the theme “design in motion” by revealing the process behind their projects, from initial concept to final product. Other topics will include the intersection between design and sports, and innovations in kinetic architecture.

Visitors will be able to explore an art installation inspired by the physical properties of oil, which will occupy the KAPSRC’s lobby. Called Black Diamond, the design by BIA will celebrate petroleum as the leading source of the Gulf’s wealth.

Shepherd Design Studio will present a parametric pavilion that responds to Saudi Arabia’s local architecture and the work of Zaha Hadid. The studio says it will serve as an impromptu meeting place for visitors in transit and provide a space for collaboration.

Other exhibitors include Lebanese designer Nada Debs, who fuses minimalist design with Middle Eastern influences, and Dutch designer Olivier van Herpt, whose works include 3D printed ceramics.

Saudi Design Week was set up by two female entrepreneurs, Noura and Basma Bouzo. The duo also run Oasis Magazine – an arts and culture publication aimed at a young, progressive generation.

Basma and Noura have previously represented Saudi Arabia at both Dubai Design Week and the London Design Biennale.

Saudi Design Week is supported by a number of government and private entities, including the General Entertainment Authority, General Sports Authority of Saudi Arabia, Van Cleef & Arpels, Papermoon, Al Tayyar, KWE, among others.

For more information, visit the Saudi Design Week website.

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