Comissioned by Bytwo
In collaboration with Pauric Freeman
Exhibited during Osaka World Expo 2025
TWO SWORDS AND A PALM TREE
The Saudi Emblem Archive was developed for the 'Saudi Arabia Pavilion' at The World Expo 2025. Drawing on research into more than 3,000 official artefacts, the work traces the evolution of the Saudi national emblem (two swords and a palm tree) from 1932 to the present. The archive reveals a symbol that was never formally standardised, allowing it to shift across contexts, cultures and generations. Each interpretation became another version of the emblem, shaped by where it was used and by whom.
Working from original archive scans with media artist Pauric Freeman, the installation translates this process of reinterpretation into a generative audiovisual work. The emblem is deconstructed into its fundamental elements and continuously reconstructed into new forms, accompanied by bespoke sound that responds to the image in real time. Structured across multiple acts, the work becomes a living interpretation of the archive itself: a symbol in constant motion, adapting and transforming as it passes from one context to another.