Jason Carlow (essay), Dirk Gebhardt (photography), Lars Harmsen (graphic essay, design)
Dubai, in its newness, has redefined the notion of authenticity: city and spectacle have been intertwined. Mall culture, airports, and theme parks may seem strange and vacuous in other cities, but in Dubai, they are the essence of life.
Shortly before the outbreak of the global pandemic, Dirk Gebhardt and Lars Harmsen visited Dubai. Nowhere in the world they had seen drama and comedy so powerfully together as in Dubai's theme parks. In the drive to bring more tourists to the UAE, develop the real estate industry, and retain a huge labor force of expatriate workers, Dubai itself resembles and operates in many ways like a theme park.
In his essay "Simulation City: The Theming of Dubai" Jason Carlow explores the uncanny atmosphere of spectacle, spatial control, and remarkable societal and cultural overlaps and adjacencies that has become an integral part of life for many residents of and visitors to contemporary Dubai.
The art book Simulation City lets the reader see Dubai with new eyes ...
Publisher: Slanted Publishers
Editor: Dirk Gebhardt, Jason Carlow, Lars Harmsen
Text: Jason Carlow
Photographer: Dirk Gebhardt
Design: Lars Harmsen
Release: July 2022
Format in cm (w × h × d): 21 × 28 cm
Volume: 172 pages
Language: English
Workmanship: thread-stitching with black thread, Swiss brochure
ISBN: 978-3-948440-36-7
