What you need to know about this year’s Tanween 2024

The King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture (Ithra) will host Tanween, its annual design conference, from October 31 to November 6. The Ithra Theatre will host Tanween 2024, the 7th edition, with the theme ‘Fail Forward’.

This year’s theme, ‘Fail Forward,’ focuses on embracing failure during the design process and leveraging setbacks to push the boundaries of design. The conference aims to shift the narrative surrounding failure and instead recognise its significance as an invaluable experience for creative professionals.

The program is set to feature a series of panel discussions, masterclasses, and workshops with key industry professionals and talents who will encourage the design community to celebrate the knowledge gained from the challenges and mistakes encountered throughout creative journeys.

Tanween Projection on Ithra building (2024), Courtesy of Ithra Studios_2

Iwan Pavilion, winning project of the Tanween 2023 Pavilion Challenge, Courtesy of Ithra Studio

Ross Lovegrove, a renowned British artist, will speak at this year’s panel discussion. Lovegrove is known around the world for his work in industrial design and elevating everyday products with innovative designs; his work can be seen at the MoMA in New York and the Pompidou Centre in Paris. Joining Lovegrove will be the founder of 3N JEDDAH Studio, and Master of Ceremony for the 2024 edition of Tanween is Nawaf Nahar Al-Nassar; IDEO & Co-Founder, Michelle Jafery; CEO of Post Industrial Crafts, Guillaume Credoz; the Creative Director and member of the Architecture Program Advisory Board at the American University in Dubai, Ila Colombo; and many more.

Tanween 2024 will also be hosting a series of masterclasses, including “A Day with an Expert,” designed to bring together groups with shared passions the opportunity to spend the day with a leading expert in their field. This year’s group specialists include New York-based artist Sebastian Errazuriz, known for his innovative designs and public installations; the Art Director and Curator at Dubai Design Week, Rana Salam; and Forbes-awarded creative entrepreneur, Farah Al Humaidhi.

This year’s specialists will offer a distinct perspective on their creative journeys and engage the participants in informative conversations through interactive experiences, advising sessions, site visits, and group projects.

Routes to Roots, exhibition co-curated by Ithra and Isola inaugurated at Tanween 2023, Courtesy of Ithra Studio

Tanween 2023 conference, Ithra, Courtesy of Ithra Studio

Tanween’s workshop are set to be interactive experiences designed to inspire creativity and enhance skills, facilities by industry leaders which include Maggie Jonk, co-founder of Dubai design studio OE-O; Hernan Hoentsch, French/Bolivian product designer and project lead at Saudi creative incubator AlMashtal; Jeske Spee, Head of Brand Materials for the African fashion sector at Vlisco Netherlands; Wael Morcos, graphic designer and partner at New York-based studio Morcos Key, as well as others.

Editions 2024 will showcase innovative design items and products from Ithra’s Creative Solutions Residency Program and Tanween Challenges. The new exhibition, Behind the Curtains: Scenes of Craft, was curated in collaboration with the Italian design platform Isola Studio. It explores the creative journeys of ten internationally acclaimed design studios that specialise in crafts, circular design, and material research. These studios will be bringing projects that resonate with this year’s theme of embracing failure. The exhibition will be an interactive workshop where guests can engage directly with designers and their work. Through hands-on activities like sketching, moulding, and material experimentation, visitors gain insight into the creative process and find inspiration for their own artistic exploration.

Continuing to build on the success of its past editions, Tanween will be showcasing the winning installation from last year’s Tanween Pavilion Challenge, Iwan, at Dubai Design Week (5-10 November), as well as an exhibition of immersive narrative experiences created during their Creative Solutions residency.

“Tanween is a catalyst for design innovation in the Kingdom and beyond, engaging the wider design community – from experts, practitioners, students, and passionate visitors – to expand their creative horizons and advance design practices for the enrichment of our society as a whole. Ithra is proud to act as the nexus and meeting point for innovators from all over the world during the Tanween creativity conference to facilitate not only a fruitful exchange of ideas but also the development of constructive, impactful design solutions.” said Shahad Alwazani, Program Lead for Tanween.

“Each year, Tanween draws in more international collaborations and ever more ambitious
opportunities for designers from the region to nurture talent and drive innovation and new ways of thinking in the design industry. Through the diverse perspectives that converge at Tanween, the conference and design showcases promote open and fruitful dialogues between creatives from all levels of experience and backgrounds which we at Ithra believe to be the key to progress, in the design sector and beyond.” says Nourah Alzamil, Head of Programs, Ithra.

Read more about Tanween here.

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