ALULA: A SYMBOL OF TRANSFORMATION

Traversing through AlUla is akin to a journey through a living museum, but what is most intriguing is how this ancient oasis city of Saudi Arabia is constantly evolving

- Seema Sreedharan 

Desert X was my first encounter with AlUla. The vision of large-scale, spectacular art commissions set against the backdrop of AlUla’s breathtaking dunes, terracotta cliffs and heritage sites, was intriguing. One image left a lasting impact—that of artist Manal AlDowayan’s site-specific installation “Now you See Me, Now you Don’t.” Here, AlDowayan presented a set of puddle-like installations; they do not belong to this landscape, and yet they appear, paused, contained, existing in the crevices of the AlUla rocks. The puddles are not real, but are made of massive trampolines that can be touched, laid upon, jumped on, and observed. In the evening, they become moon circles, activated through a series of lighting techniques as people interact with them. The trampolines were meant to draw attention to water scarcity. The image lingered and the fascination for the land got etched in my memory.

It’s how history coexists with the present, how the built landscape merges with the topography, how art and culture stay relevant, even as the city continues to evolve and embraces its new-found liberty that puts AlUla on the global map. Much has been written about the surreal topography and the layered history of the land. But AlUla is also slowly emerging as an arts and culture hub in Saudi Arabia that’s drawing in a new generation of intrepid travellers.