Ahmad Angawi: Balancing Tradition and Technology in Saudi Art and Design

Ahmad Angawi, a Saudi artist and designer born in 1981 in Makkah, emphasizes the concept of Al-Mizan, or 'balance,' a value passed down from his father, architect Dr. Sami Angawi. Raised in Jeddah's Al-Balad area, he drew inspiration from traditional rawashin bay windows and mangour lattice screens. Angawi pursued industrial design at Pratt Institute in New York and furthered his studies at the Prince's School of Traditional Arts in London. His 2017 work for the British Museum's Gallery of the Islamic World involved creating five mangour from black walnut wood in collaboration with Factum Foundation. Since 2015, he has directed programming at the House of Traditional Arts in Jeddah, which promotes endangered crafts. Angawi is also documenting mangour for a book and developing Zawiya 97, a makers' space in Old Jeddah, while his Street Pulse project (2012–) captures public voices in Jeddah. He showcases his work throughout the Middle East, Europe, and the USA, aiming to preserve craftsmanship for future generations.