Desertf!sh at World Expo, 2025

“Japan plays a big role in my creative journey.” – Desertf!sh

At World Expo 2025, DDX delivered a six-month cultural programme within the Saudi Arabia Pavilion. As part of this programme, audiovisual artist Desertf!sh invited visitors to step beyond the limits of perception with Transcendence 3.0, an interactive audiovisual installation developed for the Pavilion in Osaka.

Nasser Alshemimry, known as Desertf!sh, is an audiovisual artist working at the intersection of sound and image. As a composer, his practice is rooted in sound, while his visual work explores interactive art through graphics processing. By seamlessly connecting these two disciplines, he creates immersive environments where audio and visuals exist as a unified, responsive system.

Drawing on his Najdi heritage and life on the Red Sea coast, Desertf!sh merged real-time projection with generative sound to create an experience that was both immersive and unpredictable. Inspired by Hegelian philosophy and the exploration of boundaries, the work questioned the thresholds between sound, image, space and human presence.

Transcendence 3.0 responded dynamically to each visitor through visible sensors embedded within the space. Layers of rain, forest, sea, and urban soundscapes were woven with Arabic dialogue and live-synthesized music, forming a constantly shifting composition shaped by movement and interaction. Spoken-word fragments in Arabic traced a narrative of transcendence, reinforcing the installation’s philosophical core.

Developed as an improvisational and organic residency, the installation evolved in real time, guided by philosophical concepts rather than fixed structure. Through sound as a universal language, Desertf!sh created a sonic bridge between Saudi culture and the wider world.