Al-Sadu As a Way of Understanding the Sociospatial Practices of Contemporary Art by Saudi Women
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Al-Sadu as a Way of Understanding the Sociospatial Practices of Contemporary Art by Saudi Women Khulod Mohammed. Albugami A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Faculty of Arts, Design and Media Birmingham City University September 2018 Acknowledgments This thesis would not have been possible without the guidance and the help of several individuals who in one way or another, contributed and extended their valuable assistance in the preparation and completion of this study. This research would not have been completed without the generous joint scholarship of the Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh, and the Saudi Arabian Cultural Bureau in London. I would like to thank them for giving me this priceless opportunity and providing the financial resources required to cover my tuition fees. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to my director of study, Dr Sian Vaughan for the continuous support of my PhD studies and related research. I am grateful for her patience, motivation, and immense knowledge; her guidance was crucial during the research process and the writing of this thesis. I am immensely grateful to my research supervisors: Prof. Anthony Downey, for his valuable advice and crucial contribution to this thesis, and Dr. Jacqueline Taylor for her insightful comments and encouragement. I am also appreciative of the members of my committee for their patience and support in overcoming the numerous obstacles I faced throughout my research I am grateful to The PGR Studio, the Arts, Design & Media postgraduate researcher community at Birmingham City University for all the events they organised which supported my PhD journey. I would like to thank the following university staff: Dr. Gregory Dunn, Dr. Jakub Ceglarz and Caroline Wall for their support during the difficult times I encountered in pursuing my PhD. Francoise Dupre, I am grateful for the opportunity to attend the Social Practice in the Visual Arts module. I would like to thank all the Saudi artists, who helped me to fulfil my research objectives especially: Safeya Binzagr, Dr. Eiman Elgibreen Dr. Zahrah Al Ghamdi and Maha Malluh. Finally, I would like to thank my family: my mother, my brothers and sisters for supporting me spiritually throughout the writing of this thesis. Words cannot express how grateful I am to my sister Dr. Munirah Albugami for all of the sacrifices that she has made on my behalf. I am also grateful to all of my friends who supported me in writing this thesis, and inspired me to strive towards my goal. 2 Abstract Whilst contemporary art by women artists in Saudi Arabia has begun to emerge visibly in the international art world, little regional academic research is currently available which situates that work within a critical historical, social, and theoretical context. This thesis argues that this has resulted in a lack of understanding of women artists’ work within the international sphere and in the context of Saudi cultural production. This research’s original contribution to knowledge is based on its exploration of the traditional practice of al-Sadu weaving by Bedouin women as a way of theoretically and conceptually understanding the sociospatial practices of Saudi women in contemporary art. In doing so, it also initiates a critical conversation about space and society within contemporary art in Saudi Arabia, arguing that current, Western-focussed theories of ‘sociospatial practice’ can be critically reconsidered and expanded. Whether out of the general lack of scholarship on Saudi art, or out of a bias against traditional cultural practices, the strong space-making traditions of Saudi culture rooted in the desert have not yet formed the basis of any sustained inquiry into contemporary Saudi art. This thesis, in contrast, argues that art emerging from the desert’—al-Sadu weaving in particular— offers a precedent for cultural women’s voice and visibility in society which has not yet been sufficiently acknowledged either in studies of Saudi culture, or in the broader discourse on contemporary art. The argument of this thesis is developed via an exploration of 8 case studies of Saudi women artists’ practice. These artists stem from different generations and their work spans multiple media and I argue has influenced the national and international art scene in the last decade, in a myriad of ways. Through these case studies, this research contributes to the development of new debates on current artistic practices in Saudi Arabia, and it thus challenges existing assumptions about contemporary Saudi art, concurrently suggesting new interpretations. This research provides a solid base for future research on women’s critical discourse in Saudi culture. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 1 ABSTRACT 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 LIST OF FIGURES 6 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 9 1.1Positioning the Research: The Case of the Alem Sisters and The Black Arch (2011) 9 1.2 Research Questions and Objectives 11 1.3Al-Sadu Weaving 16 1.4 Women’s Spaces in Saudi Arabia281.5 Women’s Art: Conceptualising Western and non-Western Trends 28 1.6 Beyond Installation Art: Sociospatial Practices 32 1.7 Research Motivations 37 1.8 Research Contributions 51 1.9 Research Implications 55 1.10 Scope of the Research 58 1.11 Research Methodology 59 1.11.1 Case Studies 67 1.11.2 Fieldwork 73 1.12 Thesis Outline 80 1.13 Chapter Conclusion 81 CHAPTER 2: AL-SADU AND CONTEMPORARY ART: A READING OF DESERT WEAVING BY BEDOUIN WOMEN AS SOCIOSPATIAL PRACTICE 85 2.1 Introduction: ‘Houses of Hair’ – The beit al-sha'r Analysed as Space and Social Fabric 85 2.1.1 The Sociospatial Practices of the Bedouin beit al-sha’r 93 2.1.2 Weaving process in images: 98 2.1.3 Defining ‘Social’ and Spatial’ in the Context of this Research 104 4 2.1.4 Domestic Space, Home, and the Everyday: Documentation of Traditional Social Practices in the Art of Safeya Binzagr 106 2.1.5 Bedouin Genealogies: Bridging the Past and Present 113 2.2 Theorisations of Space in Cultural Geography, Sociology, and Philosophy 116 2.2.1 Towards an Understanding of Sociospatial Practice 126 2.2.2 Sociospatial Practice and the Disappearance of al-Sadu 130 2.3 Conclusion: Sociospatial Practice as a Connection between al-Sadu and Contemporary Art 135 CHAPTER 3: ANALYSES OF CONTEMPORARY ART PRACTICES ADOPTED BY SAUDI WOMEN ARTISTS 138 3.1Introduction 138 3.2 Weaving dust: Architecture, space and memory—Zahrah Al Ghamdi 153 3.3 Collection Process: Space and Cultural Memory—Maha Malluh 162 3.4 Experiences of Domestic Spaces: Performance, Body and Voice—Reem Al-Nasser and Dana Awartani 173 3.5 Social participation: Manal Al-Dowayan, Marwah Al-Mugait, Maha Malluh, Sarah Abu Abdallah 183 3.6 Chapter Conclusion 213 CHAPTER4: CONCLUSION 217 4.1 Introduction 217 4.2 Contributions to Knowledge 218 BIBLIOGRAPHY 223 APPENDICES 248 Appendix 1 - Art in Saudi Arabia 248 Appendix 2 Author’ works 254 Appendix 3 Questionnaire on Contemporary Art and Social Change in Saudi Arabia259 Appendix 4: The 2009 October questionnaire 261 Appendix 5 Conferences and Workshops 279 Research Glossary 280 5 List of Figures Fig. 1.1 The Alem sisters, 2011. The Black Arch 9 Fig. 1.2 Al-Mansour, Haifaa, Waad Mohammed, 2013.Screenshot showing Wadjda weaving friendship bracelets 23 Fig. 1.3 Elgibreen, Eiman, 2016. Does a face make a difference? Photograph prints mounted over limestone bricks, and assembled over a clear acrylic base with a mirror 24 Fig. 1.4 Elgibreen, Eiman,2016. Does a face make a difference? Photograph prints mounted over limestone bricks, and assembled over a clear acrylic base with a mirror 25 Fig. 1.5 Binzagr, S. and Moussely, M. 1986. Exhibition brochure. 39 Fig 1.6. Author, 2017. One of the results of weaving/writing/thinking: Visualizing research and methodology at al-Sadu workshop 52 Fig. 1.7 Author, 2017. Collage 62 Fig1.8 Author, 2017. Al-Ghat wall painting at Jeddah Art Week 4th edition 67 Fig.1.9 Author, 2017. Manal Al-Dowayan and collaborating al-Sadu weavers, at Jeddah Art Week 4th edition ‘Earth and After’ 2016. 75 Fig. 2.1 Al-Sabah, Al-Ghanim and Al-Sultan 1982. The opening of a beit al-sha'r showing the gata, or ibjad (tent divider) 85 Fig 2.2. Bedouin community in Saudi Arabia 1960s 87 Fig 2.3 Crichton, John. 1989. The Bedouin tent Structure 88 Fig. 2.4 Al-Sabah, Al-Ghanim, and Al-Sultan. 1982.Pattern designs used in the weaving of a beit al-sha'r 94 Fig 2.5. Al-Sabah, Al-Ghanim, and Al-Sultan. 1982.Examples of pattern designs used in the weaving of a beit al-sha'r 94 Fig. 2.6 Abdulmughni, Huda. 2017.The interactive of Um Fayez one of the Bedouin weaving in Kuwait to the place during the Sadu weaving process 98 Fig.2.7 Documentary film about Bedouin life in Saudi Arabia 99 Fig. 2.8 Crichton, Michael. 1989. Example of Bedouin women singing while they weave as social space 100 Fig.2.9 Hilden. Joy. 2010. A woman weaves on a ground loom (al-sadu) while members of the family keep her company 101 6 Fig. 2.10 Alriyadh. 2016. Social life outside a Bedouin tent 106 Fig. 2.11 Binzagr, Safeya. 1969. The Slipper Carrier 108 Fig. 2.12 Binzagr, Safeya. 1979. The Wealth of the Nation 111 Fig. 2.13 Binzagr, Safeya. 1968. Watermelon 111 Fig. 2.14 Author. 2017. Bedouin al-Sadu weaver 132 Fig. 2.15 Sadu stall; demonstration of wool carding; threads and loom; completed camel riding equipment 132 Fig. 2.16 Author. 2017. al-Sadu and the desert collage 134 Fig.