alwadiya: the living pots bridge handicraft and technology
Reinterpreting regional handicraft through technology, TECHNOCrafts’ Alwadiya: The Living Pots are biodegradable vessels designed for transformation. The series, on view at the Raw to Revival exhibition at the AlUla Arts Festival, is a material experiment responding to the ancient city’s heritage and ecology, envisioned to decompose into the land it came from. In collaboration with LAMÁQUINA and Micaela Clubourg, TECHNOCrafts has 3D printed the pots using a natural cellulose-based material infused with PURE.TECH — a carbon dioxide absorbing compound — and wrapped their forms in linen and biodegradable skins naturally tinged with hues extracted from local fruits and herbs.
This shift from permanence to ephemerality raises broader questions about how heritage is defined, as Raw to Revival presents crafts as a means of adaptation — one that acknowledges both historical knowledge and technological advances. In this region, where ancient ruins are preserved as markers of time, these pots propose an alternative born out of the interplay between handicrafts and digital crafts: an object conceived to participate in natural cycles. The exhibition will remain on view at Design Space AlUla until April 19th, 2025.
all images courtesy of Arts Alula
on view at raw to revival, at the alula arts festival
Madrasat Addeera, a historic girls school-turned arts and design hub in the old town of AlJadidah, was home to the Editions program curated by Samer Yamani which pairs local and international artisans and designers to develop new material applications rooted in AlUla’s traditions. The Alwadiya collection is one of four works commissioned as part of Madrasat Addeera Editions, with other objects on display including room dividers and seating and decorative items that each respond to AlUla’s environmental conditions through a combination of digital fabrication and traditional techniques.
Bridging these realms, Alwadiya: The Living Pots introduce an alternative perspective on sustainability and preservation. While traditional craft has often been associated with longevity, this project suggests that impermanence can be just as significant. TECHNOCraft has realized the vessels as living entities that will decay over time to reintegrate into a broader ecological cycle, their surfaces bearing the signs of erosion much like the life cycle of a tree. They are composed as an ode to AlUla’s lush oasis and its vibrant flora, including its citrus trees, aromatic herbs, and majestic date palms.
Alwadiya: The Living Pots bridge handicraft and technology
material experiments responding to the city’s heritage & ecology
By embedding biomaterials into the design process, Madrasat Addeera Editions moves beyond the replication of heritage aesthetics to explore how craft can evolve in response to contemporary environmental challenges, particularly with the integration of new production technologies. The Raw to Revival exhibition, in turn, presents these interventions as part of a broader conversation about the future of design in AlUla, with a focus on sustainability in terms of resource efficiency, as well as an ongoing dialogue between material, place, and time. With the perspectives of regional and international designers, the exhibition showcases AlUla’s distinct blend of natural beauty and craftsmanship, inviting visitors to explore textures, scents, sounds, and visuals that tell the story of the region.
created by TECHNOCrafts, LAMÁQUINA, and Micaela Clubourg
biodegradable vessels designed for transformation