Fata Morgana

"The New Administrative Capital is a city planned on the drawing board and erected on the desert sand. Set to create living space for around 6.5 million people, Egypt’s new desert development hopes to alleviate Cairo’s infrastructural pressures. As the country’s military leadership strategically plans the transfer of its power centers to a remote, exclusive location, the new city remains sparsely populated; a growing cause for concern among critics of the megaproject. Despite denied permits and tight press restrictions that led to two nights in a police station, I gained insight into the unnamed structure by presenting myself as an architecture student or an interested financiér. The resulting work provides insights into the controversial New Administrative Capital, shedding light on the dissonances of the, as yet, unnamed city. Between utopian visions of an authoritarian regime and urban planning controversies a few Egyptians already navigate the cityscape, embodying the hope for new jobs and less crowded cities. Beyond its horizons, fata morgana questions the timeless practice of constructing monumental structures and why its consequences so often go askew for its rulers and societies alike. "