Skylines and sea views in Dubai are as blonde and beautiful is in Rotterdam or anywhere. Dull. They’ve seen it all a million times before.

So we ditched the ropy renders and lifestyle gloss, and collaborated with international illustrators Miguel Ángel Camprubí, Brogla, and Sebastian Curi to create a world that’s spontaneous, surreal, and so-not-Dubai. Then we asked the locals to live there.