For its eighth edition, 21,39 Jeddah Arts brings together the local, global, and celestial in a captivating survey of the Saudi art scene that’s complete with crosscultural and interstellar dialogues. In reference to the initiative’s name—the geographic coordinates of Jeddah (21.5433, 39.1728 )—this new exhibition intertwines cartography and astronomy in an allegorical perspective. Curated by Fabien Danesi, The Secrets of Alidades alludes to the pointers found on astrolabes (among other astronomical instruments) that assist us in observing distant objects and determining directions. Here, the ancient alidades designate the 33 artworks as they are united on a poetical journey that opens our imaginations, instincts, and intellects to an array of dimensions and systems, earthly or otherwise.

Quite fittingly, the show will be extended through satellite exhibitions, talks, screenings, workshops, and an eponymous website that offers educational games and a science fiction fable. The entire event will dedicate its energy to further developing pedagogical perspectives across Saudi Arabia as well as the diversity of cultural approaches.

A simple sighting apparatus used for measuring angles, the alidade consists of a bar that swings on a vertical axis and can be aligned with a celestial object. The object’s altitude can then be read on a corresponding scale. Alidades were often incorporated in astrolabes and other ancient instruments through which the secrets of the cosmos were first surveyed.