What If?

Metropolis

Art of Al-Medina
Almudena Diaz

Al-Medina. Evergreen Emerald

Days and days at the sea, you will see an island that, in the distance, looks like a woman, Al-Medina. There are a lot of boats full
of people that go there, but just a few of them, almost empty, return. Al-Medina is a city that expands on a huge island. On this
island, changes take over. Al-Medina will amaze you with the metamorphosis that occur there. But do not be fooled by this citys
beauty, because nothing in Al-Medina is eternal and nothing is what it seems.
It will take you just a little time to realise that in Al-Medina, the things can change its shape. The time which forms take to
transform depends on the thing that is changing. Buildings can change its shape in just a few days, they never return to their
original shape and they never repeat any form previously made. But it is not only that, its inhabitants, who call themselves
residents, can also change. They can change their body, their life, their personality, their age, their sex And they will never
again be the same people. When they go to sleep, they never know if they will be the same person they were on the previous
day or whether they will be a different person. That is why it is a city made for silence. Its inhabitants do not often speak to each
other, and when they speak to another person, they speak softly, almost whispering. You will never hear them speaking. Neither
will you hear people laughing, crying or singing. Everybody who lives in this city is completely accustomed. The only sounds you
will hear in Al-Medina are the noise the water makes when it flows from one place to another, the noise the buildings make when
they are growing and transforming, the people working and the animals. But do not be misled by the idea that this city may be
boring. Once you have lived here long enough you will be able to hear something you will never forget, the sound of silence.
It is also a city made for the night. Its only light comes from the fire, a fire that never extinguishes and which is also constantly
changing as the city. Sometimes this fire lights some streets, and sometimes it illuminates others. Perhaps, the only thing that
does not change is that it always illuminates the same statue. A statue that is right in the middle of the island. A statue in which
Daphne is no longer a woman and is becoming a laurel tree. This laurel expands to all the buildings roofs, making the city like
it is under a beautiful blanket of leaves and branches. The sun light never penetrates directly into the city.
The old city of Al-Medina has an irregular shape and it seems to be a big maze. You will be lost in its narrow winding streets and
in its incredible architectural monuments. The streets are paved and there are not such things as sidewalks. You can see small
pieces of grass among the pieces of stone.

The streets are usually full of people, but they are always quite busy doing the job of the person in which they have woken up that
day. Fortunately, they have already learned how to do any job. They work as acrobats, escapists, magicians, knife throwers In
Al-Medina, everybody works on performance jobs. It is like a thousand year old carnival with its plentiful storytellers and
soothsayers making their way through the labyrinth of alleys. And although it seems that is a big mess, it is something that is
organized and everybody has a role and there are never disturbing noises.
In Al-Medina, almost all the facades are covered by vegetation. Besides the plants, the elements that were used to build the city are
wood, stone and water. The wood and the stone are just the materials for giving certain strength to the city, as the important
materials are the water and the vegetation that make the metamorphosis process possible. Some small rivers sneak inside the city,
in some of its narrow streets and its endless dead end streets. There is water on every street, and in the streets where there is no
river or canal, there are precious fountains. In all these fountains there are sculptures. There are some fountains whose sculptures
symbolize growth, there are others whose sculptures symbolize fertility... The fountains are the most colorful part of the whole city
and this is because they are full of a great variety of flowers. These flowers never fade.
But the most important feature of this city is magic. Magic is that element that makes changes possible. It is said that the main
source of magic is Daphnes sculpture, but actually, the origin is unknown. This magic has many features. The first one is that it
creates an incredible atmosphere inside and outside the city. It makes a different environment. One of the things that can get your
attention about this environment is that almost all Al-Medina is green. But it is not the same color green everywhere. As the shape
of the city changes, the green tone changes. What is in the metamorphosis process is in a dark green tone while the things that
are without any apparent change remain in a light green.
Another feature of this magic is that the atmosphere never changes. The weather is always the same: it never rains and it does not
snow either. There is no sunshine and no clouds. But despite this, Al-Medina is always kept in perfect conditions. It does not rain
but the humidity on the ground, in the walls and in the vegetation, is considerable, everything remains fresh. There is also no sun
light in Al-Medina, but the light of its inner fire is enough. In addition, it stays always in the same season, it is always Spring. The
fresh air, an incredible variety of flowers and good weather.
But the real essence of the Al-Medinas magic is that it makes everything immortal. Magic gives a kind of life to the buildings and
they can be changed a billion times without stopping. Also the inhabitants of Al-Medina are immortal. It is said that in Al-Medina
resides the secret of the eternal youth, because all the inhabitants are young people.
Al-Medina is an enchanted place where time has been suspended, giving you a glimpse of life that sticks out like a gem in the
middle of a feverish imagination.

In collaboration with

JEAN ARP

Influence Map

Thumbnails

Concept Art

Production Art

Textures

Orthographs

Matte Painting

Final Render

Building Up