The Horizon: looking back to look forward:
As strange as it sounds, this project came about from meeting a random stranger on a flight from Rome to Riyadh. Some projects start with a very clear brief, but this one also had a question: what if we did something completely different?
Our work with AROYA Cruises for Saudi National Day was an opportunity to explore the vessel in a different way.
The idea was to create a musical world of its own.
At the heart of the project was a large-scale theatrical performance, supported by smaller musical interventions across the ship. An orchestra, smaller ensembles, unexpected encounters with live music, and a musical narrative connecting the different elements. Rather than treating these as separate entertainment slots, we wanted them to feel like parts of a larger story.
Saudi National Day gave the project its context, but we were interested in something beyond a familiar “hala-wala-hafla” format. How could we bring together Saudi musical heritage, orchestra, a string quartet and a touch of jazz without forcing them into an artificial fusion? How could we create something that felt rooted in its context while looking firmly towards the future?
These were the questions that shaped our thinking.
For Artickle, projects like this are somewhere between artistic direction, musical production and experience. The music matters, of course, but so does the way it meets its audience. The space, the timing, the transitions, the unexpected moments, attire… everything really.
That was the thinking behind The Horizon.
A cruise ship is an unusual setting for this kind of work. It is a moving environment, with its own rhythm, its own architecture and its own relationship with the audience. Rather than treating these as limitations, we saw them as part of the creative opportunity.
The result was a concept built around the idea of a journey, not just in the geographical sense, but also a musical one. At Artickle, we believe that music can do much more than fill a programme or provide entertainment. It can shape how people experience a place, how they remember an occasion, and how an event feels long after it has ended.
Sometimes, all it takes is looking at a familiar brief from a different angle.
And then seeing how far the idea can travel. Beyond The Horizon for sure.
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