27 min listen
In the Studio: Manal AlDowayan
ratings:
Length:
27 minutes
Released:
Jan 1, 2024
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
Internationally renowned Saudi artist Manal AlDowayan is midway through an ambitious public installation that will be shown in the Valley of Arts, in the desert of north-west Saudi Arabia. She has just returned from collecting stories and drawings from the inhabitants of AlUla, and is starting to transform them into her own artwork. Titled Oasis of Stories, the project pays tribute to the local people of AlUla. She will carve their drawings into her installation, just like their ancestors carved petroglyphs to tell their own stories thousands of years ago.Manal gives Melissa Gronlund a sense of the importance of storytelling and being a memory keeper in a changing society. She also talks about her early work challenging the restrictions on women in Saudi Arabia, such as I Am, which questioned the way women were only allowed to perform certain roles in Saudi society. Melissa hears how one of the country's most established artists is navigating Saudi Arabia's new cultural scene. Producers: Ashley Byrne, Melissa Gronlund and Danielle Manning
A Made in Manchester production for BBC World Service
A Made in Manchester production for BBC World Service
Released:
Jan 1, 2024
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
The Pop Star and the Prophet: Was Jacques Attali right when he predicted the value of recorded music would plummet? by The Documentary Podcast