RIYADH — Noor Riyadh, which was just launched in the Saudi capital, is the world’s most exciting light and art festival, combining the highest quality of light artworks across the largest city footprint.

Celebrated Dutch design studio VOUW features on the roster of more than 60 global artists who have been selected to display works at the largest gathering of global light and art themed ‘Under One Sky.’

VOUW, which works at the crossroads of art, technology, and design, are pioneers in slow-tech, which constitutes a design that slows people down to encourage real-world connection. The design studio is the 2020 recipient of the Dezeen Awards for seating design.

Their newly commissioned 15 by 15 meters work City Gazing Riyadh takes its inspiration from the iconic imagery that were popularized in the 1970s following the Apollo 17 space mission.

The installation is a light rendition of the city of Riyadh as seen in NASA satellite images and can be found at the King Abdulaziz Historical Center.

VOUW’s Mingus Vogel said: “It is a great honor for us to be part of this inaugural edition of Noor Riyadh. City Gazing Riyadh is the product of our extensive research using old maps of the city.

“We spent a long time researching, our focus was the development Riyadh over time, and the ongoing aim of refocusing the urban development of the city on its citizens.

“We have envisioned our installation as a place of gathering and hope to see families uniting under the illuminated rendition of Riyadh’s cityscape.”

“It's a special opportunity to debut our work in the Arab world. Especially given the young population that Saudi Arabia has, Noor Riyadh presents a unique opportunity for VOUW to inspire the younger generation and encourage local creators.

“We can imagine it's incredible for people living in Riyadh to feel the change happening across their country and to experience public art that reflects that cultural transformation.”

The Noor Riyadh festival is part of the larger Riyadh Art program that is investing in more than 1,000 pieces of public art to turn the city into a gallery without walls.

Noor Riyadh is a citywide festival of light and art as a Riyadh Art program, March 18-April 3, 2021.— SG