Noor Riyadh Festival 

Stars are the limit at Noor Festival in Saudi Arabia

At the end of November, TAEX team personally witnessed the groundbreaking opening of the 4th edition of Noor Festival, the world’s largest light art festival, in the framework of Ryadh Art.

<h3 dir="ltr">Curated by Dr Effat Abdullah Fadag, Dr Alfredo Cramerotti and Auronda Scalera the festival highlighted the connection between Althara (the earth) and Althuraya (the stars). Featuring more than 60 large-scale artworks, Noor Festival celebrates the power of creativity and ambition in bridging vast distances, both literal and metaphorical. A key part of the fundamental Saudi Vision 2030 program, the festival will highlight both 18 Saudi artists and 43 international artists. </h3>
<img src="https://cdn72109500.ahacdn.me/news/upload-815524838.jpg" alt="Heart Space, Krista Kim" width="1500" height="826">
Krista Kim, Heart Space: 3256, Available on request
The Noor festival transformed the Kingdom’s capital into a gallery without walls and intertwined life, art and technologies across Ryadh’s major centres of gravity—the King Abdulaziz Historical Center, Wadi Hanifah district with long pedestrian paths, rest zones and the industrial JAX District. Using light as the main medium, most of the works are digitally-driven whether it is an immersive experience, projection mapping, or an installation. The program featured 62 light-based artworks, including Heart Space, the world's first biometric AI installation by Krista Kim; Spark a magical cloud of biodegradable light sparks inspired by fireflies and stars by Daan Roosegaarde; Aether, a 1500 drone show by British collective United Visual Artists.
<img src="https://cdn72109500.ahacdn.me/news/upload-4121783010.jpg" alt="Nick Verstand, Aura, 2017" width="800" height="491">
Nick Verstand, Aura, (2017), image: riyadhart.sa
In order to grasp the intense programme, the festival <a href="https://riyadhart.sa/en/noor-riyadh/festival-trails/">suggests</a> various paths from 3 hours to a 7-hour ‘Marathon of Light’. The artworks are supported by a public programme, including workshops, panel talks, and performances.
Former cultural capital of the Arab world according to UNESCO, Riyadh is now the heart of the global transformations of the cultural sector. Over the last years, Saudi Arabia <a href="https://hbr.org/sponsored/2024/08/the-vibrant-culture-of-saudi-arabia-today">made</a> unprecedented investments and efforts in the cultural sector supported by socio-economic reforms in the country. With <a href="https://www.christies.com/en/events/christies-middle-east/about">an expansion</a> of Christie’s to the Kingdom in the past September Saudi Arabia became an important art player not only in the region but worldwide.
The Noor festival is open to public until December 14th, take your chance to see it.

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Stars are the limit at Noor Festival in Saudi Arabia

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