Dubai: Can you imagine seeing infinite reflections of yourself in every direction as you grope through endless corridors? Or bumping into someone with gloved hands as you encounter a surprise corner? And then the light keeps changing colour, a disconcerting strain of music adding to your sense of bewilderment?
If this is the kind of stuff that excites you, just head to the Dubai Dolphinarium where the UAE’s first Mirror Maze is set to open on May 1.
Giving XPRESS an exclusive preview of the maze on Wednesday, Samantha Watson, Sales and Marketing Manager, said it will be a dizzying labyrinth with a visual size of over 10,000 square feet.
“The idea is to challenge visitors to find their way through a baffling maze of mirrors and become disoriented in a network of endless corridors. This effect is achieved by a complex arrangement of reflecting glass. You won’t be able to work out which way to go and will have to call on your senses of touch and adventure.”
She said the maze is part of the first phase of an extensive refurbishment of Dubai Dolphinarium. “This means it will be housed in an under-sea-themed hall where visitors walk under a giant wave with jumping dolphins to be greeted by an array of aquatic life.”
When XPRESS visited the maze, work was still in progress. An engineer said the maze has 100 mirrors arranged over 140 square metres to give an illusory effect. The mirrors are 6mm thick.
A set of arrows pointing in different directions on the ceiling adds to the confusion and can take you round in circles if you follow them. They change colour too across a palette of 15 hues.
The LED lighting and digital sound, a new concept in amusement design, enhance the mystery effect and experience. Watson said the maze has an entry on the left and exit on the right but it is likely visitors will lose their way and end up coming out of the entrance itself. “They can stay inside as long as they want. Different people react differently when they are in such an environment.”
She said the maze is open to people of all ages. Visitors are not allowed to run inside corridors and will have to wear disposable gloves to avoid fingerprint marks on mirrors that could interfere with the illusion.
