In the Arabian peninsula near the province of Medina, nearly 1,000 meters above the Red Sea, lies a magical valley with vast date palm oases, ancient Nabataean and Dadanite ruins, petroglyphs around every rock outcropping, a portal into hundreds of years of Arabian culture, and geological formations like nowhere else on earth.
This unique landscape in Northwest Saudi Arabia, once the center of trade along the incense route, was long hidden away from most of the world. Recently, AlUla has opened to travelers under the vision of the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU). One of the central ambitions of RCU has been the preservation of arts and cultural heritage and the cultivation of a contemporary arts venue like no other.
Everywhere you look in AlUla, wondrous inspiration can be found — in its organic, red-rock shapes, its flourishing green palms, and the startling contrast of bright blue sky against desert landscapes. From contemporary artists projecting light against the rocks to locals studying traditional handicrafts, the spirit of the arts lives in this valley.
It is in this context that we were invited to give a series of four workshops at the Visitors Centre at Desert X AlUla 2022, the second edition of the recurring exhibition of art in the landscape.
Upon arriving we were overwhelmed by the panoramic beauty, fascinated by the unbroken history, entranced by the artwork, and captivated by the kindness.
“Working at the intersection of nature and technology Stephanie Deumer has created an underground greenhouse; hinting at the lush sanctuary of native plants below, a large puddle-shaped array of solar panels mounted flush with the desert floor creates an energy feedback loop where the energy of the sun is captured, stored and transformed through photosynthesis into growth and transformation.” —Desert X
We were delighted by Stephanie Deumer’s Under the Same Sun, an installation at Desert X AlUla 2022 featuring a solar-powered real-time projection of the landscape where the energy of the sun is recomposed through projected light and through photosynthesis into life itself. It provided a very tangible example of renewable energy incorporated into sculpture and workshops participants could easily imagine how a power plant could be designed as a work of land art, especially when the solar modules themselves could be colorful, flexible, and translucent.
The thread of storytelling was woven into our experience. A well organized Hukat AlFann team—local guides knowledgeable about the artist’s intentions and concept—told the stories of each artwork at Desert X AlUla and answered questions about its development. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect venue to inspire creativity and narrative in workshop participants, most of whom had just experienced the magic of the canyon gallery.
After welcoming conversation we began each workshop by introducing the participants to various types of solar technology, including conventional monocrystalline silicon; flexible CIGS; tinted polycrystalline silicon of many textured colors such as gold, purple, and green; translucent, colorful, and flexible organic photovoltaics; dye sensitized solar cells; photovoltaic with custom printed lamination (Solar Mural artworks); and luscious omni-directional spherical cells set in glass.
Accompanying each type of solar technology we showed a large-scale public artwork concept that incorporated the same technology as a primary medium for creative expression, each one an entry to the LAGI design competitions that we have organized for cities around the world.
At the same time, the workshop attendees held the technology in their hands, asked questions about it, and watched as each piece illuminated LEDs even in the indirect light of the workshop room.
As the technology samples were passed around, we told the stories behind each Land Art Generator artwork. Some of the artworks expressed joy and wonder around nature’s beauty and complexity. Some offered clues about the impact human activities are having on the balance of Earth’s climate and ecosystems. Others celebrated local culture, the history of a place, or the birth of a nation. Others still explored pure geometry and form or sought to inspire and educate the public about the endless opportunities made possible by the energy transition from fossil fuel to clean and renewable infrastructures.
After learning about various LAGI artwork examples and studying the technologies, participants took creativity in their own hands, sketching and writing their ideas for large works of art in the landscape that would generate renewable energy and create captivating experiences.
The space adjacent to the Desert X Visitor Centre served as a convenient and inspiring canvas for imagining, and the themes of journey through time and sarab guided creativity.
We were delighted by the level of engagement and the poetic beauty of the ideas that were shared. It was fulfilling to hear statements by participants proclaiming excitement for how solar power in Saudi Arabia might be considered from a cultural perspective, to reflect the unique identity of place, and how renewable energy power plants could be designed intentionally as art in the landscape.
Cover image: Under the Same Sun by Stephanie Deumer. Desert X 2022 AlUla.
