Light Between the Islands background by Grimanesa Amoros
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AMPLEXUS

Grimanesa Amorós AMPLEXUS — monumental 100-foot LED light installation at Noor Riyadh Festival, Diplomatic Quarter, Saudi Arabia. Glowing red tubing inspired by Riyadh's desert sunrises and sunsets wraps the circular columns of the Cultural Palace, blending traditional Islamic architecture with light art. Public light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós, 2022.
Grimanesa Amorós AMPLEXUS — monumental 100-foot LED light installation at Noor Riyadh Festival, Diplomatic Quarter, Saudi Arabia. Glowing red tubing inspired by Riyadh's desert sunrises and sunsets wraps the circular columns of the Cultural Palace, blending traditional Islamic architecture with light art. Public light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós, 2022.
Grimanesa Amorós AMPLEXUS — monumental 100-foot LED light installation at Noor Riyadh Festival, Diplomatic Quarter, Saudi Arabia. Glowing red tubing inspired by Riyadh's desert sunrises and sunsets wraps the circular columns of the Cultural Palace, blending traditional Islamic architecture with light art. Public light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós, 2022.
Grimanesa Amorós AMPLEXUS — monumental 100-foot LED light installation at Noor Riyadh Festival, Diplomatic Quarter, Saudi Arabia. Glowing red tubing inspired by Riyadh's desert sunrises and sunsets wraps the circular columns of the Cultural Palace, blending traditional Islamic architecture with light art. Public light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós, 2022.
Grimanesa Amorós AMPLEXUS — monumental 100-foot LED light installation at Noor Riyadh Festival, Diplomatic Quarter, Saudi Arabia. Glowing red tubing inspired by Riyadh's desert sunrises and sunsets wraps the circular columns of the Cultural Palace, blending traditional Islamic architecture with light art. Public light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós, 2022.
Grimanesa Amorós AMPLEXUS — monumental 100-foot LED light installation at Noor Riyadh Festival, Diplomatic Quarter, Saudi Arabia. Glowing red tubing inspired by Riyadh's desert sunrises and sunsets wraps the circular columns of the Cultural Palace, blending traditional Islamic architecture with light art. Public light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós, 2022.
Grimanesa Amorós AMPLEXUS — monumental 100-foot LED light installation at Noor Riyadh Festival, Diplomatic Quarter, Saudi Arabia. Glowing red tubing inspired by Riyadh's desert sunrises and sunsets wraps the circular columns of the Cultural Palace, blending traditional Islamic architecture with light art. Public light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós, 2022.
Grimanesa Amorós AMPLEXUS — monumental 100-foot LED light installation at Noor Riyadh Festival, Diplomatic Quarter, Saudi Arabia. Glowing red tubing inspired by Riyadh's desert sunrises and sunsets wraps the circular columns of the Cultural Palace, blending traditional Islamic architecture with light art. Public light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós, 2022.
Grimanesa Amorós AMPLEXUS — monumental 100-foot LED light installation at Noor Riyadh Festival, Diplomatic Quarter, Saudi Arabia. Glowing red tubing inspired by Riyadh's desert sunrises and sunsets wraps the circular columns of the Cultural Palace, blending traditional Islamic architecture with light art. Public light sculpture by Grimanesa Amorós, 2022.
Grimanesa Amoros video thumbnail for AMPLEXUS

Location: NOOR RIYADH | Cultural Palace Diplomatic Quarters, Saudi Arabia, 2022
100 ft x 85 ft x 32 ft (30 m x 26 m x 10 m)
LEDs, diffusive material, custom lighting sequence, and electrical hardware.

AMPLEXUS is a monumental light sculpture spanning 100 feet across the Cultural Palace in Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter, reinterpreting the forms of traditional Islamic architecture through a dynamic LED sequence that connects the city’s deep history to its global future.

  • At 100 feet wide, 85 feet deep, and 32 feet tall, AMPLEXUS occupies the distinctive circular overhang of Riyadh’s Cultural Palace, with tubing structures formed around the building’s columns and reflective material on the floor below enveloping viewers within their cultural heritage.
  • BBC (2022) described AMPLEXUS as a continuation of Amorós’s approach of surveying cultural landscapes before translating them into ephemeral light sculptures, noting that the work embodies global identity through its engagement with Riyadh’s architecture and community.
  • After witnessing sunrises and sunsets across the Saudi desert, Amorós translated that experience into a fully red light sequence recalling the light of dunes at dawn and dusk, reconnecting the city with its surrounding landscape.
  • Arab News (2022) noted that at the center of AMPLEXUS is a nucleus embodying the escalation of Islamic art in the era of digital media.
  • AMPLEXUS was presented at Noor Riyadh 2022, the world’s largest annual light festival, and received coverage in Harper’s Bazaar Arabia, BBC, Arab News, and arc Magazine (all 2022), affirming its significance within both the global light art landscape and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 cultural ambitions.

    • AMPLEXUS (Latin for embrace) is an immersive light sculpture installation that embodies global identity.

    The piece communicates directly with Riyadh‘s contemporary and historical architecture, viewers, and the surrounding environment by connecting the city’s past and its ever-evolving tomorrow, nature, and the digital world. The work looks toward Riyadh’s global future while celebrating the city’s cultural heritage and community.

    AMPLEXUS takes inspiration from traditional Islamic architecture, reinterpreting it within a digital age. At the same time, it engages with the modern form of the installation site, Riyadh’s Cultural Palace, the heart of the city’s global relations. A light sculpture will be installed in the distinctive circular overhang of the building. The lighting sequence reconnects the city with the surrounding desert by recalling sunrises and sunsets on dunes. Tubing structures formed with the columns of the building and reflective material installed on the floor below will envelop viewers within their cultural heritage, community, and environment.

    Thousands of souls dreaming and working together created the city of Riyadh. The breathtaking ferocity of the surrounding desert is a testament to human innovation. AMPLEXUS embraces this collective community consciousness, the city’s architecture, and the untamed magic of the desert itself.

    About Noor Riyadh
    Noor Riyadh is a citywide annual festival of light and art that nurtures creativity, promotes talent and delivers awe-inspiring experiences.

    The 2022 theme, ‘We Dream of New Horizons,’ alludes to a reflective hopeful future and refers to the shining light of dreams. The 2022 edition of the festival includes over 190 artworks by more than 130 artists.

    About Riyadh Art
    Riyadh Art is one of the four major projects launched by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on March 19, 2019, under the supervision of the Committee of Grand Projects chaired by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Prime Minister and Minister of Defense.

    Riyadh Art is one of four grand projects being developed by RCRC that collectively transform the capital into an environmentally friendly, sustainable city which offers the highest standards of livability and lifestyle, in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 goals.