Artistic Director

**(BLME0171) KSA**

**INTRODUCTION TO NOOR FESTIVAL**

Scheduled to take place in November 2020 at the same time as the G20 summit, the festival is part of the Riyadh Art project, which will deliver over 1,000 installation artworks in public spaces across the city “to promote new dialogues, forging conversations between the next generation of Saudi artists and the wider community”, says King Salman.

The Noor (“Light”) Festival is one component under the umbrella of the Riyadh Art program that wa launched in March 2019 by King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Custodian of the 2 Holy Mosques. Noor Festival, combined with several other initiatives such as the Urban Art Lab and the Art in Transit, seek to improve the quality of life in Riyadh as well as showcase Riyadh’s position internationally, as a rich, cultural destination that merges history-tradition and customs with modernity. The objectives of the festival, which specifically align with the Vision 2030, range from promoting tourism to improving engagement and connectivity for the public and stakeholders in the city.

The Noor festival will take place for a total of 14 days each year, focusing on temporary, digital, and community artwork installations.

**THE RIYADH ART PROJECT**

Riyadh Art is an exciting new initiative which promises to promote new dialogues, forging conversations between the next generation of Saudi artists and the wider community. Riyadh Art will comprise 11 sub-projects and several of them will be permanent, stationary locations for local artists.
- The Urban Art Lab will consist of galleries featuring well-known artists in city squares, which will encourage interaction between artists and citizens.
- The Joyous Gardens will be playgrounds in neighbourhood gardens designed by famous artists.
- Jewels of Riyadh will consist of a collection of valuable artworks that will be installed at tourist destinations.
- The Welcoming Gateways, at Riyadh’s entrances, will feature creative designs and unique architecture.
- Art on the Move will include sculptures at important intersections across the city. Art in Transit will reflect the opening of the new Metro, scheduled to begin operation before the end of 2019, with artworks in metro and bus stations.
- Urban Flow will consist of pedestrian bridges designed by artists to strengthen the city’s interconnectivity and encourage citizens to walk.
- Garden City will be a garden for art, containing monuments and sculptures in a permanent location in the heart of Riyadh.
- The annual Noor Festival will showcase interactive artworks based on illumination, held in one of the local parks.

**THE NOOR FESTIVAL**

The Festival will take place across the city in 8 specific locations with a total of 19 artworks that fall under 8 curatorial pillars:

- The Hospital City
- The Populated City
- The Civic City
- The Connected City
- The Binary City
- The Elemental City

Events and installations will range from VIP and Public displays, encouraging engagement and promotion of the arts and providing an alternative way of demonstrating the historical significance of locations across the city.

The Festival should therefore be accessible to and relevant for all residents of Riyadh, including those who are differently abled, children, residents, tourists, elderly and adults - to name a few.

The artwork for the Festival should be a combination of local and international art the re-tells and re
- interpret the rich history of Riyadh for the public to enjoy and interact with following the principles of history and heritage, urban playfulness, innovation and technology, and temporary contemporary.

**PURPOSE OF THE ROLE**

The Artistic Director is the content authority for Noor Festival Project, who will be responsible for managing day-to-day operations and delivery of creative programming, marketing and sales for the Festival including other aspects of producing an outdoor event. They will give leadership and direction to a dynamic team, develop a long-term strategy which meets the financial and artistic vision of the Festival; work closely with marketing and communications agencies on audience development, and ensure overall stability and sustainability.

Plan: Devise the plan that achieves the goals and objectives of the project and aligns with the Festival’s overall strategy, including defining the project’s scope and determining what resources are available, as well as how to monitor and report on the project’s progress.

Budget: Effectively manage the project budget to deliver on expectations. Make accurate estimates and monitor the actual spend as compared to the planned budget.

Risk: Manage issues and risks that will inevitably rise and work towards resolving problems quickly so they don’t take the project off track. Devise a plan of action to understand what risks may occur and a plan of action for mitigating or circumventing them.

Report: Communicate with the project teams to make sure the proje