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RIYADH: The public art initiative Noor Riyadh is returning for its fifth edition from Nov. 20 to Dec. 6.

Under the umbrella of Riyadh Art, the light art festival will once again transform the Saudi capital with groundbreaking installations by leading local and international artists.

“In the Blink of an Eye,” its theme for 2025, is inspired by Riyadh’s rapid transformation. It reflects the city’s evolving identity which juxtaposes its historic core with visionary infrastructure, including the newly launched metro system.

Noor Riyadh is part of the Riyadh Art program, one of four megaprojects in the capital launched by King Salman under the Vision 2030 plan.

As a pioneering cultural initiative, Riyadh Art is led by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, which oversees strategic, multi-sector transformational programs to help position the capital as a global center for contemporary art and culture.

The program drives cultural innovation and supports economic diversification by embedding art in public spaces to enhance the urban experience.

Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, who also chairs the Riyadh Art program’s steering committee, said: “This year’s theme captures the momentum of change that defines Riyadh today.

“Through Noor Riyadh we continue to deepen the role of public art in shaping cultural exchange, enriching daily life, and positioning Riyadh as a creative capital on the world stage.”

Riyadh Art has showcased more than 550 artworks by more than 500 Saudi and international artists, attracting more than 9.6 million visitors through major programs, including Noor Riyadh.

This year’s edition further expands the festival’s curatorial ambition and aims to create meaningful moments for residents and visitors.

Noor Riyadh 2025 will feature more than 60 large-scale light installations, building on the success of previous editions and reaffirming its status as a leading platform for contemporary public art.

First launched in March 2021, it includes an exhibition alongside a public program of community activities such as educational workshops, talks, and performances.

CHICAGO: Palestinian Yara Alul left the comfort of a promising career as a stock trader, and later as a program manager at Amazon, to launch along with her sisters their own company showcasing their culture and strengthening the Palestinian clothing industry.

Alul said Urban Pal, which was launched in July, takes cultural iconic designs in clothing accessories and uses Palestinian seamstresses to create products that are sold on www.urbanpal.co. 

It also solicits design ideas and drawings from Palestinian children and places them on clothing for distribution, with portions of the profits going to the civic organization Taawon.

“Urban Pal aims to sustainably preserve and evolve Palestinian heritage while offering a 2025 customer experience,” Alul told Arab News.

“We aim to sustainably source all of our items and focus on using vintage, organic and recycled fabric where we can … We try to bring Palestine where we can by hiring Palestinian, sourcing from Palestine, and adding cultural icons to all of our pieces,” she said.

“The idea is to integrate it into everyone’s everyday wear, to strike conversations about Palestinian culture and heritage, because it’s so beautiful and it needs to be preserved and evolved.”

Customers can customize products with their own design ideas, and shipping and returns are free.

A graduate of Penn State University now living in Dubai, Alul said her and her sisters Meera and Tala “were always raised to aim to succeed in order to give back to our community.”

Beyond fashion, Alul said, the Urban Pal brand stands as a social movement, aiming to preserve cultural identity while uplifting artisans and inspiring future entrepreneurs to align purpose with business.

“We work with multiple children in Gaza right now to buy artwork from them. Sometimes we request specific themes, other times they just share their drawings with us and we buy them from them. We currently work with a dozen seamstresses in Jordan, but we’re looking to expand elsewhere,” she added.

“All of them use the funds to support their families, and have expressed the mental and emotional impact it’s had on them.”