Design Stage for Final Projects of one-year programme students in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Participants on the one-year programme at the Jameel House of Traditional Arts / Jeddah are the midst of production of their end of year projects.

After an intense foundation in the universal principles underlying the practice of the traditional arts and crafts during the first term, students are now focusing on the development and completion of their own self-directed projects in close consultation with their tutors.

This process started last week, when our Director, Khaled Azzam, travelled to Jeddah to review each student's designs.

As part of the final project, students were required to respond to three product briefs:

Decorative Arts: Prayer rug, embroidered abaya/ thobe, illumination page

Storage Container: Jewellery box, pen/calligraphy box, tea tray, food or gift box

Interior Design Object: Window screen, dividing screen, lamp, wall panel or table top design

A uniting element of all the briefs was to reflect the decorative language of Jeddah's old city (Al-Balad) with its history of welcoming a continuous influence from all over the Islamic World.

PFSTA tutors have assisted the students in establishing and refining their ideas, including additional lessons in methodologies for the use of proportional systems in the design process. Working alongside them are four alumni from JHTA / Jeddah and Cairo, who are now teaching assistants. They are providing guidance to the students from the design stage through to completion.

We're excited about seeing the progress of the products and how students renew the traditional arts and crafts of Al Balad as inspiration for new and contemporary designs and products. Their work will be exhibited at the centre in Al-Balad at the end of April. To learn more, visit JHTA / Jeddah's website or contact our local team

To apply for the one-year Foundation Certificate by the PFSTA at The Jameel House of Traditional Arts / Jeddah, fill in the application form. The deadline is April 18th. Interviews are held on April 30th and May 1st.