Zoe Roller

Beyond Reality: the Fantasy Worlds of Simon Rodia and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Zoe Roller

The creation of fantasy environments bridges the gap between imagination and reality. These environments empower their creators and inspire viewers because they make marginalized areas visible to hegemonic powers. Simon Rodia's Watts Towers became an icon of defiant creativity after the Watts Rebellion, uniting the artistic community in South Central Los Angeles. Watts Towers resonated because they suggested the possibility of making dreams concrete. Rodia's visionary sensibility is also present in Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai. He built Dubai's economy on fantasy, creating an international symbol of bizarre luxury. Dubai makes the Middle East visible as a center of architectural innovation and challenges the rest of the world to match its feats of imagination. The relationship between fantasy and power, and the perils of succumbing to fantasy, are visible in these divergent examples of visionary environments.