UK Science Museum Group announces move into Saudi Arabia

The UK Science Museum Group has announced plans to set up a “museums hub” in Riyadh, which will enable officials and curators from the organisation to “work closely with museum professionals, researchers and educators in Saudi Arabia”, a statement says. A spokesperson for the group says: “The agreement to work towards the creation of a museums hub was only signed late last week so there is not yet a launch date nor any finalised commercial terms.”The agreement was signed by Rakan Altouq, Saudi assistant minister of culture, and Ian Blatchford, the chief executive and director of the Science Museum Group. “The partnership builds on a cultural memorandum of understanding signed by the [former] DCMS Secretary of State [Nadine Dorries] with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2022,” the group statement adds. In February 2022, the UK government signed the memorandum of understanding with the Saudi Arabian state which is designed to strengthen cultural links between the two countries. Nadine Dorries, the then UK Culture Secretary, participated in the signing ceremony at the Diriyah Biennale in the Jax district on the outskirts of Riyadh.The new Science Museum hub is the latest attempt by Saudi Arabia to rebrand itself as a cultural destination. Considered isolationist and ultra conservative until only a decade ago, the country also has a concerning record on human rights.Blatchford says in a statement: “We take decisions about international partnerships with considerable care because some of the countries in which we work are not democracies, with human rights frameworks far below the standards we cherish.”Internationalism is second nature for the Science Museum Group, both because of the power of cultural engagement and because collaboration between different nations has always been essential to addressing global challenges. Our clear view is that there is huge potential to support positive change and reform for people in Saudi Arabia by building science engagement amongst citizens and growing a strong, sustainable museums sector.”The Science Museum Group comprises the Science Museum in London; the National Railway Museum in York; Locomotion in Shildon; the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford, and the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester.The UK project complements a raft of cultural initiatives in Saudi Arabia developed by the French government and key French arts institutions. Last March, for instance, the Centre Pompidou in Paris signed a deal to develop a museum of contemporary art in the burgeoning AlUla region of Saudi Arabia.