Dragons, swords and Daenerys Targaryen – if like millions of other fans around the world you are eagerly waiting the start of season five of HBO's Game of Thrones on April 12, then the textured impressions of George R R Martin's fantasy world on real-life warrior shields on display at Dubai Mall will tide you over and delight the fanboy or fangirl in you.
Twenty metallic shields, created by Dubai blacksmith Oddvar Lonnerkrantz, who also happens to be a descendant of the last Viking of Denmark, King Sven Estridsen, have been customised by mixed-media artists for the Game of Arts exhibition, as a warm-up of the Middle East Film and Comic Convention 2015, which starts on April 9.
The exhibition is curated by the Emirati artist Mohammed Abedin, creator of the designer toy MEGA.
The Viking-style shields
Lonnerkrantz, who organised a Viking exhibition at MEFCC last year, was commissioned by event organisers to make metal shields that artists could decorate with Game of Thrones and The Lord of the Rings characters and motifs.
“They asked me to create proper metallic shields, not just props,” says Lonnerkrantz, owner of Viking Machinery in Dubai.
“So we created something historical, but at the same time inspired by these fantasy worlds, for the painters to work on. I drew up a couple of designs based on findings from different museums and excavations, and we decided on a design that could not only be painted on but one that you can also use.”
Traditional Viking shields were embossed and made of birchwood, covered with raw hide.
“We modified it a bit to achieve a more medieval style, and they aren’t round like the actual Viking shield.”
Lonnerkrantz and his team joined riveted sheets of iron together to make them sturdy and “capable of taking a blow from a sword.”
The Creations
• Fire Made Flesh by Melvin Miranda, 32, architect
"I'm a huge fan of Game of Thrones and my shield represents that. At the moment, the show is all about the dragons and the shield has a dragon's head with two wings on the top. I've used paint and epoxy to create the skull and acrylic paints for a reddish black tone to the creation.
“It wasn’t hard to create on the shield because I used industrial material. It took me five days to finish.”
• A Dragons’ Tale by Liz Ramos-Prado, 40, graphic designer
"My artwork focuses on a strong female character from Game of Thrones. I chose to depict the Khaleesi, Daenerys Targaryen from the show. She is an inspiring figure and I wanted to portray that.
I’ve used acrylic and charcoal pencil to draw her with her dragons on the shield.
“She is a picture of calm and strength while trying to tame her ferocious dragons. It was a lot of fun putting this together as I’m a follower of the show.”
• Cernunnos by Flordeliza Pesigan, 41, freelance artist
“I’m a full-time artist who travels between Dubai, Goa and Bali. I was inspired by the horned god Cernunnos, also called Hern the Hunter.
“This god looks evil but he was the god of the jungle and very powerful. So my interpretation on the shield is that I’ve painted a pair of human eyes, a pair of goat eyes and a third eye to represent the divine.
“I’ve used Java leather to cover the whole shield and made the horns out of leather, as well. I wanted it to look like old metal but use the materials I had. I’ve added an emblem called the triskele, or the spiral of life, in the centre.
"The reason I chose this figure is because I wanted to move away from the Game of Thrones theme and express myself a little differently through this art piece."
• All We Need is Love by Fatima Zain, 50, interior designer:
"I have a degree in fine arts and have been painting since childhood. I wanted to create something that would hold meaning for the cause we are supporting. Since the proceeds from the auction are going to an initiative that brings hope, I wanted my shield to represent that. It's called All We Need is Love.
“Using fabric and paints, I’ve created black-and-white roses as the background, with butterflies emerging at the top. This is to show hope, even in darkness.
“I’ve also adorned it with crystals. It took me a long time to think of a theme but I managed to complete it in three days.”
• The exhibition continues at Dubai Mall until April 8 and then it moves on to MEFCC until the event ends on April 11