Tales from Earth

"Tales From Earth" is a creative process that connects all forms of life—human and non-human—through shared responsibility and imagination. We use storytelling to recall that we first spoke and heard the world before seeing it. Rooted in both reality and imagination, these stories guide us toward a future grounded in Earth’s memory.

The program unfolds over a day of talks and panels, ending with a concert that unites voices and sounds from diverse cultures and ecosystems. This journey unfolds along three paths, from Venice to Riyadh: "The Tree Library", a site-specific platform, reclaims forgotten spaces as shared territories of learning, care, and ecological co-existence among all living beings. "Art and One Health" explores the ties between human, animal, and environmental health.

In Venice, alongside the Maqam Music Festival, we’ll revisit ancient healing traditions through maqām, where music offered both soothing and cathartic power. "Nature as Co-author" challenges us to see the natural world not just as context but as creator. Artists are invited to collaborate with trees, co-producing works that honor nature’s essential role in shaping culture—not only redefining creative processes but also challenging and expanding the foundations of art history by establishing a new contract with nature as a rightful partner in our cultural heritage.

Guest of honor: Anna Herringer, Architect and honorary professor of the UNESCO Chair of Earthen Architecture, and Maqām Festival, Multaqā al-Mūsīqā al-Maqāmiyya.

11 – 11:30am | The Tree Library: Cultivating Collective Harmony
Princess Mashael Al-Shalan, Co-founder - AEON Collective
Markus Reymann, Co-director, TBA21

11:30am – 12:15pm | Inaugural conference - Nature as Co-author of art and cultural heritage
Prof. Anna Herringer, Architect and honorary professor of the UNESCO Chair of Earthen Architecture
Dr. Abdelkader Damani, Historian of Art and philosopher, Artistic Director at AEON Collective

12:30 – 1:30pm | Maqām Tree of Life - Modal/Tonal Musical Tree, Neuroscience and Therapy
Professor Nidaa Abou Mrad (Sorbonne Université, Institut de Recherche en Musicologie, Antonine University, Maqām Festival)
Professor Paolo Bartolomeo (Brain Institute, Sorbonne Université)
Professor Nicolas Meeùs (Sorbonne Université, Institut de Recherche en Musicologie)
Moderator: Professor Viviane Naimy (Notre Dame University).

2:30 – 3:45pm | Culture and Nature as one heritage for one heir
Princess Mashael AlShalan, AEON Collective
Mathias Schwartz-Clauss, Historian of Design, Curator and Director of Domaine de Boisbuchet
Mr. Julian Mylchreest, Demeter X
Prof. Carlos Duarte, KAUST

4 – 5pm | Life as a journey to beauty
Luca Galofaro, architect, Italy
Dr. Diana Seganttini, Art specialist, Switzerland,
Ahmed Mater, Artist, Saudi Arabia
Dr. Abdelkader Damani, Artistic Director AEON Collective, Algeria

7 – 8pm | “4000 Years of Maqām Music in the Mediterranean”, Maqām Festival Ensemble
Nidaa Abou Mrad, conducting, kemanšē, medieval fiddle and violin
Tarik Beshir, singing and ‘ūd
Rafka Rizk, chanting
Ghassan Sahhab, qānūn and lyre

AEON Collective is a non-profit WAQF driving impact and regenerative development in Saudi Arabia and globally. Through a human-centric, nature-positive approach, we integrate science, culture, and innovation to empower communities and restore balance between people and planet.

TBA21 is a global art and advocacy foundation committed to social and environmental transformation. Through its collection, exhibitions, and Ocean Space in Venice, it supports artists and cultural practices that foster peace, affirm life, and celebrate diversity.

Maqām Festival (a non-profit organization based in Cairo) celebrates modal musical traditions of West Asia, North Africa and Europe. Merging research, transmission and performance, it aims to ensure that maqām music (a cornerstone of Arab heritage) can be received in a relevant and moving way by a large contemporary audience.