Monday, February 21, 2011

Chihuly in Dubai

OK, what major city doesn't have a piece of Chihuly public art?

About half way through our trip to Dubai, my sister and her husband took us out for fancy Middle Eastern food at the Atlantis Hotel, out on the Palm, the giant man made island in the shape of a palm tree. With only 70km or so of beach front, Dubai came up with an insane idea to double it all in one giant project. Each frond is filled with luxury beachfront property. In this picture you can see the Atlantis at the center top of the outlying crescent. They engineered a tunnel to get to it so it really is separated from the rest of the palm. Crazy, huh? And that hotel is gigantic, the scale is hard to catch here.
When we walk in the lobby, what do I see but a big beautiful Chihuly.

I absolutely love the color shift and shape of this one. It makes the space really magical.

Those yellow bits are all glass casts of sea life like octopuses and nautilus and rays. Very cool.

There is also a gigantic indoor aquarium. While not as magnificent as the even more gigantic one in the Dubai Mall, it is nice because it is open only to hotel guests and is not very crowded. I love this school of rays that are coasting by the window.
It made me more than a little proud to be able to say, "That artist is from Tacoma!"

2 comments:

  1. I want to thank you for posting so much from your trip. I know it's hard and when you're on vacation you want to rest, not blog. When I was in Germany I tried posting and after a long day of sight seeing it was hard to motivate myself! Looking back on the posts though, I was always glad I did because it's a travelogue that I wouldn't have had otherwise.

    Your pics have been a blast and I can't wait to see all the goodies you brought back! Sorry it's about to snow ...

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  2. Jennevieve
    I got my bird box today...I love him. Your work is so meticulous, but still full of whimsy. Thanks.

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