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As inspiration for the program, 21,39 Jeddah Arts will also feature a special presentation documenting the pioneering work in biomimicry and adaptability of Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Frei Otto (1925–2015). In a period of hyper-consumption, his radical philosophy of “architecture before architecture” provides a powerful contrast to acceleration and excess. The presentation, curated by Maya El Khalil and Georg Vrachliotis, professor of architecture theory and director of the architecture collection at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, offers an opportunity for reflection on a vision that contributed to the urban landscape of Saudi Arabia, home to some of his most innovative projects.