fata morgana

fata morgana documents the discrepancy between utopia and reality in the New Administrative Capital (NAC), photographed in 2023 and 2024. The planned city for 6.5 million people, built 50 km east of Cairo, shines with government and military quarters, but remains deserted. Workers maintain facades and irrigation systems along the rose-lined streets, while sporadic events preserve the illusion of liveliness. Given the high cost of housing, it remains questionable whether the city will ever be alive.

The bizarre architecture and the lack of quality footage, as the press is only allowed to work with military permits, motivated the work. Access was gained by slipping into the role of a lost tourist, architecture student or investor, and led to an arrest towards the end of the project.

fata morgana reflects the glossy dreams of a military dictatorship: built by workers for 6 dollars a day, designed as an exclusive playground for the government, the wealthy and tourists. Empty urban landscapes illustrate the uncertain future of a futuristic city that aspires to Western ideals. The military base “Oktagon” as a counterpart to the Pentagon and the “Iconic Tower” are symbols that place no value on sustainability. Fabricated realities that are almost as perfect as the digital renderings await their inhabitants. Archetypal portraits show social stratifications and invite viewers to immerse themselves in the surreal spaces. An accompanying text in the book by Egyptian researcher Mamdouh Abdelkhalek places the images in a socio-political context. It draws a link to Egypt's history of planned cities, which often succumbed to the megalomania of their rulers. The question remains: What will humanity leave behind for future generations?

Louis Roth is part of Issue 17 by Guest Editor Torbjørn Rødland.