At one of the greatest music festivals in the world, a Saudi art student’s digital creations were displayed on a massive screen. At the third round of MDLBeast’s Soundstorm festival, which was hosted in the desert outside of Riyadh, Ahaad Alamoudi’s vibrant falcon creation was on display.
The moving digital pictures were displayed on a 128-meter-long screen close to the DownBeast stage of the event.
The falcon is a traditional symbol that, according to Alamoudi, a Ph.D. candidate at the Royal College of Art in London, symbolizes the changes Saudi Arabia is going through and the value of protecting the country’s natural environment.
In the festival’s inaugural presentation, the Jeddah-born artist’s work was showcased alongside performances by renowned international musicians, Saudi DJs, rappers, and hip-hop artists.
One of them, created by Saudi Arabian pixel artist KldPxl, used intricate digital landscapes like desert motorways and deserted petrol stations to express the beauty and loneliness of the modern world.
“Music and painting are two of my major hobbies, and merging them in one piece was very fulfilling,” the artist said. “I genuinely felt privileged to have my painting shown at MDLBeast and possibly seen by over 100,000 local and foreign attendees.”
Yusef Alahmad, a graphic designer, specializing in Arabic typography, also displayed his creations. They were chosen since these three artists seek to engage with a broader audience than simply the art community, as their work is made for the people.
The works sought to capture the dizzying, escapist, and inspirational qualities of the electronic music experience through digital media.
These modern artists attempted to pay homage to their country’s rich heritage while innovating and expanding through technology and contemporary culture, much like the expanding community of Saudi electronic music stars and DJs.
Edge of Arabia, Badiya Studio/Jazzy Spa Sounds, whose founders Warchief and Chindy performed at the DownBeast stage on the first day of this year’s Soundstorm, and Edge of Arabia also collaborated to organize the first YallaSwap meetup in October.