Book launch: Through the Malls of Riyadh 'Tabula Mercātuum’ by Adam Kucharski and Hafsa Alkhudairi

With how malls have been most Khaleejis' first experience of navigating public space, one must take such sites with a great deal of interest and curiosity when mapping out public space and its usage in cites such as Riyadh, Dubai or Muscat. And as the fast drive to develop cities in the
GCC, many of these malls have fallen into disuse, lending them to becoming interesting sites that one could read as texts. The project proposes looking at disused, or out of fashion malls, as palimpsests of urban landscapes. Borrowing its title from one of the earliest accurate maps of
the world, created by the Arab polymath Al-Idrisi, the “Tabula Rogeriana”, published in the 12th century, was an exercise that combined mapping with storytelling and poetry. Today, and through playful and historical mapping styles, the project adopts different visual conventions to examine and explore these sites in the city of Riyadh. Using a visual vernacular of early Islamic navigation, the project is the brainchild of Riyadh-based urbanist, artist and consultant Adam Kucharski, featuring collaborations with writers and illustrators including Omar Houssien, Hafsa Alkhudairi, Sara Almutlaq, among others. This artists’ book was commissioned and produced by Wizara, a creative studio and curatorial consultancy working on the intersection of art, technology and the public realm.

About the talk:
During this talk and “artifact launch”, Riyadh-based urbanist, artist and anthropologist Adam Kucharski will be in conversation with writer, curator and artist Hafsa Alkhudairi, exploring writing in relation to changing urban realities in contemporary Riyadh. Inspired by their walks in the city’s older and disused malls, Hafsa and Adam wander and wonder on how we can write about the nature of urban space and the public realm within malls and markets. Taking as a point of inspiration the 12th century atlas “Tabula Rogeriana”, compiled by Al-Idrisi in 1154, Adam
Kucharski and Hafsa Akhudairi will discuss the project “Tabula Mercātuum” in relation to Riyadh, a project which uses storytelling, poetic writing, and a visual vernacular of medieval maps to rethink the notion of public space. Original illustrations for the project were designed by
illustrator Omar Houssein. This artists’ book was commissioned and produced by the creative studio Wizara.

Adam Kucharski
Hafsa Alkhudairi