“Garden of Delight” is a documentary on leisure and consumerism in Dubai. It showcases Dubai as the ultimate playground of globalization and capitalism, and raises questions about authenticity and sustainability.
The rapid transformation of Dubai from a regional trade center in the 60s to the ultramodern metropolis today, is a fascinating case study in market-driven urbanization. Entertainment and tourism are main economical pillars of Dubai. Sheikh Al Maktoum, ruling as a CEO over the ‘Dubai-brand’, spares cost nor effort to promote his city worldwide as a place of complete economical freedom, unlimited possibilities and big fun.
Dubai’s excessive entertainment industry has a big impact on Emirati society. 90 percent of the population in Dubai are expats, only 10 percent are local Emirati citizens. Their traditional islamic values are being challenged by imported Western lifestyle.
Dubai is a clear example of the phenomenon of ‘capsularization’: Our globalized world is transforming into a dual society, characterized by separation and exclusion. The first world is an archipelago of shielded islands or ‘capsules’ where it’s pleasant to live; the second world is all the rest: an ocean of poverty and chaos. In a capsular society, public space becomes privatized; capsular architecture—such as gated communities and malls—simulates public space on private ground. This new urbanity, characterized by artificial inner spaces, runs like a thread through this series.