Dragons, giant paper planes soar over Dubai, snow covers UAE landmarks as artists reimagine the Emirates

The UAE’s architecture is so stunning that it serves as a canvas inspiring artists to create their own renditions. From American epic science fiction movie Avatar’s dragons soaring over Dubai to its buildings covered in snow and lush green forests around UAE landmarks, visual artists and architects have reimagined the Emirates in every way possible.

UAE flag represented through snow, greenery, Pandora and Mars

Dubai-based contemporary digital artist Jyo John Mulloor’s works have been going viral for the remarkable detail with which he recreates the UAE. He is on a mission to create visuals that represent the four colours on the UAE flag: Black, red, green and white.

The artist told Khaleej Times that he works on his passion project from around 10.30pm — after his family sleeps — till 3.30am or so.

Black: Pandora city

Mulloor’s latest work imagines Pandora from James Cameron’s Avatar recreated in Dubai. The art shows the Museum of the Future standing tall in the dreamy world of extrasolar moon:

Giant mushrooms glow, while a native rides a dragon over the city’s famed skyline:

Red: Mars

What if the Red Planet was to get its own Burj Al Arab? Well, this is exactly what Mulloor thought about one day and came out with a whole set of designs for Burj Al Arab 2.0:

Or how about a Museum of the Future on Mars?

Green: A blooming country

Mulloor gave the country’s landmarks a generous touch of green and the results are stunning. His renditions of the Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab and the Dubai Frame surrounded by lush green Amazonian forests went viral.

But check this image of the Sheikh Zayed Mosque gleaming amid all that greenery:

White: Snow

Mulloor began his journey into reimagining the UAE with a snow-covered Emirates. His work is literally the realisation of a dream he had.

“What if the UAE had a snowy winter?” he asks, and the result is this:

World’s biggest origami stands tall amid Dubai skycrapers

During the Covid-19 pandemic, freelance artist Rohith Rao and his daughter used to visit a beach, which offered a full view of the Dubai skyline.

“We used to be mesmerised,” he said. “We were making some origamis, when she asked me what if we could create a giant one to match Dubai’s buildings. That is where I got the idea and inspiration to create one,” said Rohith.

That’s how giant paper airplanes, boats and horses arrived in Dubai:

The artist said he wishes to see his creations come to life one day.

Burj Khalifa in the lap of nature

Architectural 3D visualiser Shebeeb Abdulla took the lush greenery of his hometown, Kerala, India, and added it around the Burj Khalifa. The Abu Dhabi resident worked on the project for five hours and it was worth every second:

Look: A giant Moon shines

Canada-based architectural design and intellectual property licensor has placed a giant Moon-shaped resort near the Palm Jumeriah and the Burj Al Arab:

Dubai is a “forerunner” location for one of four destination resorts that the firm plans to license. Michael Henderson, one of the two entrepreneurs behind the concept, told Khaleej Times that the resort has multiple display options similar to the Burj Khalifa light shows. “The entire (building) can become the UAE flag,” he said.

Ring of protection

This one is straight out of a sci-fi thriller. Architects have proposed a 500-metre-tall ring that will encircle the whole of Downtown Dubai, with the Burj Kalifa at the centre of its 3-km circumference.

Znera Space’s proposed structure, the downtown circle project, is a “mega building complex” that offers an “alternative to singular and unconnected high-rises”. The ring would be supported by five vertical beams.

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