Time Reflected on Water

The Red Sea has reflected centuries of sky on its surface; mirroring the sails of merchant vessels, fishermen’s nets, the faces of pilgrims and the steady movement of those who brought with them far more than material goods. They carried ways of seeing, making, and being. This summer, our Recess cohort of seven embarked on their own journey to explore these depths. Our cycle began as we planted seeds together, and thought of collective values that formed the ‘Expedition Manifesto’, an applique sail which steered our creative quests.

The Recess curriculum this year placed a keen focus on questioning, criticality in research, and hands-on experimentation. Using the scientific method as a framework for their main philosophical inquiry, the students learned to navigate knowledge systems, form hypotheses and create their own means of making. Visits to Darat Safeya Binzagr and the Red Sea Museum allowed them to connect these theories to ways in which time was documented communally and in currents respectively in two different buildings.

Integral to this cycle was ‘The Ear As an Archive’, where the cohort explored listening as a medium of inquiry and a method to document memory. They delved into early Islamic thought systems before embarking on a sonic recording trip to the South Corniche, gathering the sonic atmosphere as the sun set. The journey continued through materiality sessions at The 7th Floor Studio and Hayy Makers, where the students dived into design thinking, mark-making, and material experiments; from NFC-integrated objects to crafting bio-plastics and silicone mould making.

Throughout this action-packed cycle, we traced the histories of encounter and exchange that have flowed through our city. By observing the convergence of past and present, the findings and works ask what these reflections reveal to a young person standing here at this focal point.

2026 Recess Cohort:
Alma Hawwa
Danah Alfattani
Layan Alshakhshir
Maaria Al Sarraj
Nour Ibrahim
Yasmina Bagader
Zahra Kaki

Recess Artist-Teachers:
Nayla Attar
Sahrish Ali
Zaina Hamza
Hadeel Bahjatt

Exhibition Design:
Jumana Qutub

Production:
Ansif Habib

Graphic Design:
Dina Al-Khatib

Translation & Proofreading:
Noor Basalamah
Khaled Alqahtani

Special thanks to:
The 7th Floor
Dar Al Hanan Schools
Darat Safeya Binzagr
Alvin Lo Vincilo
Tala Qari
The Red Sea Museum
Learning Team
Operations Team
Comms Team