Saadiyat Studio

Catalog description

Can making be a form of thinking? What kinds of knowledge can only be generated in the studio? And how can the world itself function as an extended studio space? Saadiyat Studio is an intensive masterclass in studio-based research, open to students working in and across arts disciplines. It is a philosophy course with its sleeves rolled up: part artist residency, part writing retreat, part creative laboratory. The course posits that art rarely arrives fully formed. It takes shape through experimentation, drafts, trials, false starts, and unexpected turns. The studio is approached not only as a physical space, but as a mode of attention, a set of habits, and as a way of moving through the world. Rather than treating creative practice as executing ideas, it invites students to approach making as a way of generating knowledge. Students gain momentum on capstones or independent projects through sustained studio time, one-on-one mentoring, and the focus that comes from stepping outside daily academic routines. Alongside hands-on work, the course fosters reflection, peer exchange, and critical engagement with the UAE's arts community through field visits, guest lectures, and critiques. This course will be offered in January-Term 2026 in Abu Dhabi.