With much anticipation, musical legends Pink Floyd will release their first album in 20 years.  Endless River is due to be released on 15 November 2014.  The honour of creating the new artwork for this album has been bestowed on a young unknown Egyptian digital artist called Ahmed Emad Eldin.

Eldin is only 18 years old.  He was born in Jeddah Saudi Arabia, but was brought up in Cairo.  Since he was 13 years old he has been experimenting with digital art, but his work was relatively unknown.  Eldin was discovered by Aubrey Po, Pink Floyds artistic director and former colleague of Eldin’s predecessor, the enigmatic Storm Thorgerson.

Storm Thorgerson is the iconic graphic artist, who has up until now, produced all of Pink Floyds album covers (with the exception of their first album Piper at the Gates of Dawn, in 1967).  His famous pyramids from Dark Side of the Moon are recognisable all around the world.  In 2013 Thorgerson passed away which left many Pink Floyd fans questioning if anyone could ever fill his shoes.

Aubrey Po was today interviewed on BBC 6 Music Breakfast Show.  He described the new artwork as a surreal image of a lone rower punting himself across a layer of clouds.  “At first glance  you think he is in a rough sea, but it’s not, he is above above the earth, he is in the clouds and he is heading out towards a sunset”.  Po continues to say that it is a very provocative image, that you should read into it what you will and that it sums up the music of Pink Floyd well on this album.  He finishes by saying that “the essence of river, of boats, and sailing of into the sunset sum up completely this album”.

Eldins piece is beautiful and peaceful.  It creates an air of mystery, someone paddling into the unknown.  No doubt it was very carefully selected for the new album which incidentally, was recorded on a house boat on the Thames.  Pink Floyd artwork has always had an air of mystery.  The album covers have always been part of the package, and this is no exception.

Eldin is going to see his image being used on massive billboards across the world, from Paris to Sydney.  In Manhattan, New York it will take over the whole side of a building and in Southbank, London a large cube is being erected alongside the album cover. 

Today as Ahmed Emad Elgin was catapulted onto the world stage, he becomes another young Egyptian to watch.