The Joy Awards 2025 – the largest awards ceremony to recognise talent and artistic achievements in the Arab world and beyond. This year’s epic design created an energy of a continuous flow from the very beginning of the audience experience all the way through to the auditorium design and onto the stage.
// 2024
// Awards Ceremony
// Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
The holistic environment took the visitors on a journey which began as a long path that funnelled the audience through digital and reflective, faceted tunnels blending high tech with golden surfaces, layered with delicate lavender flowers and greenery contrasted against the glowing geometric design flowing through the space.
With multiple stages and photography opportunities for presenters and interviews, the end of the 200m long experience culminated in an eight storey, performer structure.
The design for the bespoke auditorium was enlivened by a large-scale projected, canopy made from geometric facets. Suspended over and around the audience like a diamond cave it created an intimate, immersive space on a grand scale. The dynamic language was continued on stage, framing the performances that would completely transform every act. On both sides of the auditorium was housed an 80-piece orchestra that raised up to be revealed throughout the show.
As part of the live show, we also designed nine different acts that combined large scale scenery together with music and dance for which we collaborated with the producers MBC, Done and Dusted and Creative Directors and Choreographers, Black Skull Creative for the majority of the performances. Additional creative collaborations were with Possible Productions for Xtina, and Lightswitch for Hans Zimmer.
Credits
Auditorium Design, Performance Set Pieces Design and Lavender Carpet Design Stufish Show Director Russel Thomas from Done and Dusted Technical Director Malcolm Birkett Creative Director Blackscull Creative, Possible (Creative direction and Set Design for Christina Aquilera’s performance) Choreography Blackscull Creative Producer MBC, Rabih Rammal, Zoe Cook and Simon Pizey from Done & Dusted Production Manager Sven De Beul, Nick Malbon, Henry Gillett, Lavender Carpet Cubes, Production Manager forPerformer Wall on Lavender Carpet Harry Guthrie, Caroline Babington Entrance Foyer Design Toni Breiss Composer Jean-Marie Riach Lighting Design Al Gurdon & Ross Williams Lighting Supplier PRG, Light Initiative, Pixmob Audio Supplier Clair Global Sound Design Auditoria Systems Video Design & Animation Hello Charlie, Blackscull Studio Staging Supplier The VK Group, Showtex, WiCreations, Stage One, Coldharbour Industries, Tait, Blocks Group, Stageco, E9 Production, Al Laith, LED and projection Ogle Hog, CT Production Art Director Richard Olivieri Stage Manager Vicky Madden and Mel Carter Rigging Unusual rigging SFX ER Lasers and SFX
