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Noor Riyadh, one of the most exciting and ambitious festivals of light and art in the world, is all set to illuminate Saudi Arabia’s arts and culture scene with more than 190 artworks and over 500 activities.

To be held under the theme “We Dream of New Horizons,” the citywide artworks will light up Riyadh from November 3 to 19 across 40 locations and five main hubs:: The Diplomatic Quarter, King Abdullah Financial District, Salam Park, JAX District — a new creative zone in the capital city — and King Abdullah Park. In addition, the exhibition “From Spark to Spirit,” to be held at the JAX 03, will open on November 3 and run until February4, 2023.

Part of the Riyadh Art program, Noor Riyadh 2022 features inspirational work from more than 130 artists from 40 countries. The festival aims at nurturing local talent and inspiring youth to drive Saudi Arabia’s creative economy. Therefore, more than a third of artists taking part in Noor Riyadh are from Saudi Arabia.

Architect Khalid Al-Hazani, Riyadh Art program director, said: “Noor Riyadh is a big part of the plans to creatively transform the Kingdom’s capital into a vibrant, cosmopolitan global city through arts and culture. Supported by Riyadh Art, Noor Riyadh’s parent body, the ambition is to turn the city into ‘a gallery without walls,’ featuring public artworks and diverse community activities, aimed at artists and the people of the city.”

This year, Noor Riyadh is larger in scale and scope, increasing not only the number of participating artists and artworks, but also the list of community activities.

Monumental and site-specific artworks

Among the highlights of Noor Riyadh are the selection of artworks that will be presented for the duration of the festival. At least 90 artworks are new commissions, meaning they have been specifically created for this edition. These unique artworks include The Garden of Light by Charles Sandison, a video projection in the Diplomatic Quarter hub that investigates the virtual horizon created between history and the digital world. On view just around the corner is Amplexus by Grimanesa Amorós, a light sculpture that radiates light through the air, enveloping and embracing the architecture, space and the viewer.

Another fascinating piece is Daan Roosegaarde’s Waterlicht installation that turns water into light. The work at Salam Park encompasses a dream landscape about the power and poetry of water with an ecological message.

Elsewhere at Salam Park, Cupid’s Koi Garden, the world’s first inflatable fountain, is a fantastical artwork by art company Eness that draws inspiration from formal civic fountains and classical statues.

At KAFD, Asaad Badawi’s Chasing the Sun showcases brightly colored fiberglass shapes that conjure planetary motions. On a similar theme of ingenuity, multidisciplinary artist Zahra Bundakji creates a sound portrait of women who have shaped and supported dance floors in Saudi Arabia, supported by the universal symbol of dance culture, the disco ball. The work, titled The Voice of Listening, will be on view at the JAX District.

Spectacular artist-led presentations

Spectacular is but one of many applicable superlatives for Pulse of Light, a nightly laser show being performed in central Riyadh that unites Kingdom Tower, Faisaliyah Tower and Majdoul Tower. Created by Yann Kersalé in collaboration with show designer Martin Arnaud, Pulse of Light is accompanied by music from Grammy award-winning artist Zedd.

Marc Brickman’s drone show at King Abdullah Park will also be truly spectacular. For this year’s edition of Noor Riyadh, Brickman, artist in residence at the Empire State Building, brings two aerial light installations — the first titled “The order of chaos: Chaos in order,” featuring a swarm of 2,000 drones. The second drone show, “K A L E I D O S C O P E,” explores the absurdity of human constriction through technology, and features an interactive element in its choreography.

Public program

The comprehensive public program of more than 500 events at Noor Riyadh ranges from tours to talks, workshops, family activities, volunteering programs, and live music.

Full details of the Noor Riyadh experiences that are ready to be showcased across the city will be released in due course. The festival is curated by Hervé Mikaeloff, Dorothy Di Stefano and Jumana Ghouth. The exhibition From Spark to Spirit, which will explore the history of light art as a medium, is curated by Neville Wakefield from the UK and Gaida Al-Mogren from Saudi Arabia.

Online charity auction

Noor Riyadh also has a charity auction bringing together four major Saudi artists — Ahmed Mater, Moath Alofi, Rashed Al-Shashai and Saad Al-Howede — in collaboration with the charities Aleradah Org, Saudi Alzheimer’s Disease Association, Alnahda, and International Rehabilitation Team. All are working together to produce pieces that will be displayed and eventually put up for auction to benefit the charities’ art programs. The artworks will go on sale through the Saudi-based art market platform Atrum from Nov. 14-15.

Tickets and attendance at Noor Riyadh

Most of the outdoor citywide artworks for Noor Riyadh are non-ticketed and open to all. However, some artworks require prior booking. Special activities such as workshops and talks may be ticketed with a nominal charge. Noor Riyadh aims to donate all the funds raised through ticket sales to charitable causes. The full program and ticketing details will be available soon on Noor Riyadh’s app and website www.noorriyadh.sa.