Biggest inclined mural in Hatta
dubai — If you haven’t explored Hatta yet, there’s no better time to go down the natural reserve to see the world’s largest inclined mural, unveiled on Sunday.
As part of second phase of the Dubai Street Museum Project, Brand Dubai — the creative arm of the Government of Dubai Media Office — revealed the 80mx30m mural along Hatta Dam that portrays the founding fathers of the UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum.
The mural is part of the Dh1.3 billion Hatta Comprehensive Development plan revealed last year, and adds to the area’s unique mountain and nature experience. Residents and tourists can now enjoy kayaking, boat rides, mountain hiking and biking at Hatta Dam.
Behind this towering creativity is German street artist Case Maclaim, who spent 12 hours a day of the last two weeks painting on the inclined wall. “This is the first time I worked on an inclined wall, which was very challenging and exciting,” said Maclaim, who’s been a street artist for 23 years. To work on the mural, Maclaim had to paint while suspended from a rope, using a team of assistants to help carry the paint. “I had to be mindful about the amount of paint and use my resources wisely to save energy,” said Maclaim, “I couldn’t even stand straight and paint.”
While spilling paints isn’t a big deal if painting on a straight wall, Maclaim said spilling on an inclined wall would’ve created a “huge mess.” Nevertheless, the artist who was also involved in painting two of the 16 murals at the 2nd December street as part of the first phase of Dubai Street Museum project last year, chose to take up the challenge. His street murals included an image of the hands of an old lady pouring coffee using a ‘dallah’ (traditional Arabic coffee pot), and the second depicting the traditional art of fish-netting.
“I love new challenges and this (the Hatta Dam mural) was a new experience that I will be adding to my portfolio. I’m happy the people here trusted me to paint the UAE founders, important personalities who have done a lot for this country years ago,” said Maclaim.
Meanwhile, Shaima Al Suwaidi project manager of Brand Dubai, that collaborated with the Dubai Municipality on the project, said the mural was painted to showcase the leaders’ love for Hatta.
“The late leaders used to spend their weekends in Hatta, and we meant to carry their legacy and promise of development forward,” said Al Suwaidi. She said the mural is the first, and biggest, of a series scheduled to be painted across Hatta. However, the number of murals or artists to be involved in the project was not revealed. The street art, she said, will showcase Hatta’s environment and attractions including its honey-making, mountains and other aspects.
Announced in November 2016, the Dubai Street Museum aims to transform the emirate into an openair museum. The first phase saw 16 international and local artists come together to paint 16 murals down the 2nd December Street, portraying the UAE’s history and the 1971 Union through images of pearl diving, falcons, coffee-making and old local currencies.
The Dubai Street Museum will showcase the past, present and future of the UAE, from the walls of Satwa down to Hatta. The location of the third phase, after Hatta, is yet to be revealed.
sherouk@khaleejtimes.com
This is the first time I worked on an inclined wall...I’m happy people here trusted me to paint the UAE founders, important personalities who have done a lot for this country years ago.” Case Maclaim, German street artist