Looking Back at the Islamic Arts Biennale 2025
That’s a wrap! Our team has completed their final day of de-install condition reports for the Islamic Arts Biennale 2025. It has been an amazing project to be part lasting over 6 months, with some preliminary work in the UK before the installation started on site in Jeddah.
Our team of conservators undertook initial condition reports ahead of installation, and carried out monitoring and collection care for all objects, contemporary and historic, on display during the entire run of the second Islamic Arts Biennale. When the doors closed on the Biennale our work was not complete, as a second round of condition reporting ensued to make sure all objects, artifacts and artworks were documented ahead of packing and transportation back to their respective collections.
Condition reporting ahead of packing for transport.
Our team of conservators in Jeddah
Our conservation operation at the Islamic arts Biennale scaled to meet the needs of the biennale organisers the Diriyah Biennale Foundation. During the installation phase we had thirteen conservators on the ground, throughout the biennale three conservators provided ongoing collection care and monitoring for all objects. For the deinstall we built up the team to eight conservators covering a range of disciplines.
Magnificent objects on display at the Islamic Arts Biennale from Left: Memory of Becoming by Arcangelo Sassolino, A Monumental Quran, An Omniscience: The Sanctuary by Hylozoic/Desires
Conservation and condition reporting on location
The conservation specialisms we brought to the Islamic Arts Biennale included Metals, Decorative Arts, Paper, Contemporary Materials, Objects Conservators and Textiles. Plowden & Smith collection care throughout the biennale brought our conservators’ expert eye for detail to the task of ensuring all objects were in the correct environmental conditions and that the materials each object is composed of from metals and ceramics to wood and fabric were not deteriorating or had not sustained any damage.
Not your average day at the office: 1. Objects conservator Tina steps up on the plinth to give this minbar from Morocco a gentle clean. 2. Karina teamed up with Art Handler Dominik from Hasenkamp to carry out minor in-situ repairs on Lúcia Koch’s vibrant installation, Air Temperature.
De-install Condition Reporting
The de-installation of a major biennale is a significant undertaking. While the pressure of the press and anticipation of visitors may have listed it is the responsibility of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation to coordinate the safe de-install and return of over 500 objects to collections and institutions around the world. Objects came to the biennale from 20 countries, alongside 29 newly commissioned artworks from international artists.
Our MD, Camilla Hughes-Hunt, visited the project regularly at key stages so joined the team in Jeddah for the start of the de-install as our on-site team of conservators grew from three to eight to process such a volume of condition reporting in a limited time. Camilla brought the conservation team together and liaised with key contacts at collections who had loaned significant works to the biennale.
The team head for a meal out with Camilla after a day creating condition reports for the Islamic Arts Biennale de-install
Partnerships and Collaborations
The Islamic Arts Biennale is a huge undertaking from the Diriyah Biennale Foundation in the Kindom of Saudi Arabia. We are indebted to Will Glendinning and Aden Wessels for their support and trust in our conservation services. It was a pleasure to work alongside experts in international arts logistics Hasenkamp and the companies who came together to deliver the biennale Black Engineering from Turin, Barker Langham, Cubic Museum Mountmakers from Madrid and Colin Morris Associates Exhibition Design.
Deinstallation with Hasenkamp international art logistics.
Plowden and Smith deliver projects worldwide and invite offers to tender for large scale conservation projects. If we can support you in delivering individual object conservation, care for collections or independent condition reporting contact us.