Italy taps ‘design ambassador’ to photograph Saudi UNESCO heritage sites for posterity

Luca Capuano, an Italian design ambassador and a photographer for UNESCO, is on his first visit to Saudi Arabia. (AN photo)

JEDDAH: Italy wants one of its most celebrated photographers to capture images of Saudi UNESCO heritage sites for posterity.
“We have UNESCO sites in Italy, and we have UNESCO sites here. We want to create a link. We want to always show what brings us together, not what divides us,” said the Italian Consul General, Elisabetta Martini.
She was speaking on Sunday at an Italian Design Day, organized by the Italian Consulate at the Italian Cultural Club in Jeddah.
Also there was Luca Capuano, an Italian design ambassador and a photographer for UNESCO, the UN cultural agency. He is on his first visit to Saudi Arabia.
“I’ve seen a lot of interesting things. I’d like to explore the Kingdom more, and come back here again for further exploration,” he told Arab News.
Capuano, who is noted for his architectural work, was commissioned to photograph Italy’s 44 World Heritage sites in 2010, and in 2016 he documented the Dheisheh Palestinian refugee camp near Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, also a World Heritage site.
“We hope to produce a catalog of UNESCO sites from the Western Region of Saudi Arabia photographed by Capuano,” Martini said.
Saudi Instagram sensation Hamza Jamjoom was also at the event.
“What interested me most is the environment … and of course the artwork,” he said. “It’s a great event.”