Alserkal Advisory crafted Noor Riyadh’s public programme for two consecutive editions, 2022 and 2023.
Having been initially contracted by Havas Events to programme the talks and workshops in 2022, Alserkal Advisory was re-awarded the contract for 2023 to include a larger scope, including family activities and tours.
Our approach to Noor Riyadh’s community engagement programme has been to respond to the curatorial theme of the festival, while ensuring it remains accessible to a wide audience.
Our process consisted of unearthing more depth in the existing curatorial narrative to build interdisciplinary potency of the resulting programmes. In addition to employing a research-driven method, we are experimental in exploring alternate formats, venues and participants.
2023 edition
In response to the 2023 edition of Noor Riyadh festival titled ‘The Bright Side of the Desert Moon’ the public programme focuses on how light is observed and experienced, honoring the perspective of the viewer and the act of collective viewing.
As such, the programme acts as a prism– a transparent object of multiple planes, splitting the programme into three strands: reflection, refraction, and dispersion.
In 2023, over 17 days, we executed a comprehensive programme of 21 talks, 9 types of workshops with over 70 sessions, and over 300 family activity sessions. We estimate to have engaged 26,000 individuals, meeting a critical target of Riyadh Art’s vision of nurturing a young arts audience and igniting a creative economy.
Sawtasura Honoring the Voice of Sara Othman
Experiments in Photosensitivity Printmaking
Bayt Al Malaz Performance
2022 edition
Similarly in 2022, the curatorial theme ‘We Dream of New Horizons’, inspired the exploration of three threads or ‘-scapes’: The ‘Cityscape’ provided a moment to reflect on and revel in the complexity of Riyadh. The ‘Dreamscape’ explored a world in which reality blurs and alternatives emerge, and the ‘Tech-scape’ was a blast of the future.
In 2022, over the duration of three weeks, we held 42 artist-led workshops and 14 panel discussions and talks. In total we engaged 58 artists in discussion, and 12 as workshop facilitators.
Panel in JAX
Family Activities at Salam Park
Full house at JAX
In addition to honing a high level curatorial approach with specific thematics aligning with the festival, we handled operational oversight, dedicated artist-liaising, and all set up including tech, rehearsals, and audience management. On the marketing front, we produced design assets and digital campaigns for social media, and direct marketing each week of the festival.