2018, the year Uzbekistan showed the world what their modern culture is all about.

When Uzbekistan springs up in conversation, vivid imaginations run high with scenes of delicate camel tracks and intricate tile-cladded mosques come to mind. These elements speak the truth of the ancient heritage of Uzbekistan, however, with any fast-paced developing country, change exists. In this western region, which was once sparsely populated for decades, a vibrant new world of ambition, creativity, and the arts is now taking shape.

As you cross the expansive plains of this Central Asian gem, towns and villages fade away and the night sky becomes ever so more illuminated, however, the illumination in the late spring is not from the dazzling night sky but from something no one would have predicted less than a year before. In what could be the most unsuspecting and unique setting on earth is a slice of modern Uzbekistan, The Stihia festival. This festival brings the very best of modern Uzbekistan in a rather unorthodox setting, the Aral Sea.  Beginning as primarily as a festival of techno music in 2018, the festival has continued to grow and now has acclaimed techno artists making an annual appearance in one of the world's most fascinating locations.

In the last 12 months, the festival has evolved, whilst music is firmly at the beating heart of the 2-day event, artists, scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs now flock to the desert to share inspiration and culture to the millennial generation of Central Asia. The 48-hour event attracts thousands of people from across the globe and the talks, light shows and of course the music bounce around the corroded boats of the once glistening sea. 

For an in-depth view of the Aral Sea and how this set has become a modern playground for communities, check out An Erased Sea.