So I wander and wander along, And forever before me gleams The shining city of song, In the beautiful land of dreams. But when I would enter the gate Of that golden atmosphere, It is gone, and I wonder and wait For the vision to reappear.  Henry W. Longfellow, “Fata Morgana”. A ‘Fata Morgana’ is a particular form of mirage, visible on a narrow band just above the horizon in specific atmospheric conditions. This phenomenon induces the viewer to see objects that don’t exist or that appear very different from what they are in reality. The project tackles this boundary line, somewhere between the fictional and tangible dimensions, against the landscapes of Dubai and the Arab Emirates, which have always maintained an illusory and imaginative spirit. Here, from the Sixties an uncommon urban development has took place until today. A territory that was housing few fishermen villages right behind the desert has been transformed in a global forward-looking destination. Time by time this evolution has brought an enormous flow of new residents (many of which coming from developing countries) fascinated by the dream of a wealthy way of living. As a result, expats that reside and work temporarily in the country nowadays represent the 90% of the whole population. In a journey in episodes, the hotel is sometimes the point of departure and arrival, sometimes the only place from which to observe the external world. It becomes the metaphor of a certain way of living the territory, adapted to suit its inhabitants’ needs and desires. What remains from the illusions of a first sight is a collection of memories which, like awakening from a long dream, briefly blend and overlap before making way for the disenchantment felt towards the present.