UAE based artist reimagines Abu Dhabi snuggled beneath a blanket of snow

What an ice makeover…

You may remember Jyo John Mulloor from his stunning digital art series that placed iconic Dubai landmarks in a botanical embrace.

We got a bright green glimpse of what it would be like if Dubai Marina was surrounded by flourishing meadows, the towerscape of Downtown protruded from the leafy canopy of a forest and how the Burj Al Arab might look if it had a Puerto Rican postcode.

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Freeze, Mulloor time

The talented artist’s latest work however, part of the #LetItSnowUAE collection, adds a line up of instantly recognisable Abu Dhabi buildings, to the existing ensemble of polaresque Dubai renders.

It does of course snow from time to time in Abu Dhabi, but it’s usually restricted to the high-altitude locales such as the Jebel Hafit area of Al Ain, and never like this…

We see Qasr Al Watan at the end of a wintery road, snow heaped to either side of the track and the silhouette of the frosty peaks of Fairmont (or Rixos?) Abu Dhabi Marina looming Himalaya-like in the distance.

The Sheikh Zayed Mosque stands elegantly whilst a blizzard swirls around it; in another image, the towers of the Corniche jut from freezing fog, mangroves replaced with reeds, date palms swapped with frosty firs.

Do you wanna build a snow man?

Then there’s Emirates Palace looking like Elsa and Anna’s own Arendelle Castle; Aldar HQ resembles a loose bauble from a Christmas tree; Louvre Abu Dhabi cuts a dramatic looking Arctic research lab; and Ferri World Abu Dhabi, with its three valleys makes for a cherry red Alpine range.

The real Snow Abu Dhabi

And all of this, can’t but help heighten our anticipation for Snow Abu Dhabi — a Majid Al Futtaim Group endeavor and part of the wider Reem Mall construction — a 1.2 billion US Dollar retail mega project, that is almost a city in itself.

Once open can look forward to 12 exhilarating rides and 17 engaging attractions spread over a 10,000 square feet area. The temperature will be regulated to a super chilly 2ºC, and the slopes will be dusted in a snow capped coating to a depth of 500mm.

Confirmed attractions include two giant slides, one named ‘Ice and Floes Toboggan Race’ which sounds nice and gentle, and ‘Grauppel’s Summit Escape’ which sounds less so.

Rides include The Entry Plaza, Flight of the Snowy Owl, Magic Carpet, Polar Express Train, Crystal Carousel and Ice and Floes Bumper Tubes, The Trolls Bowl, Drifts Downhill Run, and Snow Hares Bunny Hill and The Enchanted Tree.

Snow Abu Dhabi dining experiences come in the form of The Lodge Restaurant, Grotto Amphitheatre, Ice Café, the Party Room and VIP Room.

Images: Jyo John Mulloor via Instagram / Snow Abu Dhabi