Shining bright atop the Kingdom Tower, Koert Vermeulen’s Star in Motion illuminates the skies above Riyadh while subconsciously underscoring the festival’s theme, Under One Sky. In spirituality, the symbolism of stars is the knowledge of good and truth. Throughout the world, in most major religions, stars represent the luminaries that gleam, glow and flicker throughout the heavens. Stars emit streams of light into our atmosphere and reflect a collaborative understanding of genuine solidarity and honesty, shining for all eternity.

Stars are universal connectors, bringing harmony and unity around the world, reminding us we are all under one sky. The artwork establishes a powerful link between the city, activated by Noor Riyadh’s light installations, the night sky above it, and the whole world, standing out as a brilliant beacon of hope and celebration for Noor Riyadh 2021. Noor Riyadh was a citywide festival of light and art as a Riyadh Art program, March 18 – April 3, 2021.

It’s safe to say this project was quite the challenge. The Fisheye engineers happily went to work tackling all technical questions concerning production of the metal and aluminum frame, the LED and moving heads lighting, software controls, electrical needs, transportation and suspension at a whopping 257m above the ground.

Project by the numbers:

• 6,2m in diameter
• 520 linear meters of LED strips
• 16 moving head fixtures
• 1,2 million lumens
• 257m high above the ground
• suspended within Kingdom Tower

After technical production in our CNC, paint and tech workshops it was time to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. A giant truss structure on the parking lot of Fisheye’s HQ in Belgium allowed us to create similar conditions necessary to mount this impressive star shaped production in the air. Everything was planned into detail and all traveling crew took part in the first setup (and dismantling) of the star.

It took some calculating, but towing this 6m wide object up in the air was quite satisfying to say the least. Once finished ACT’s lighting designers joined our team to ensure a smooth light programming was in place. After that the time had come to travel to Saudi Arabia in preparation for the Noor Riyadh Light Festival, as you can see in the impressive aftermovie below.