as i gathered with the rest of my traveling buddies, we were asked to decide. for this afternoon, we had a choice, and that was to either visit the italian pavilion or the china one. it seems that this part of the excursion was constrained by unfortunate time restrictions, and we needed to choose which one we would go to.
so how do i decide?
do i visit the italian pavilion, a country known the world over for its unparalleled and exquisite taste in art and design since the days of classicism and the renaissance, for its well deserved reputation of creating gorgeously sensuous design exports ( ferrari and lamborghini quickly come to mind ) and for the fine cuisine and wine and even finer women that us men drool all over the world for?
or do i visit the china pavilion, with its magnificent noble heritage of art and culture showcased in an arguably unbroken time line of 5,000 spectacular years, with the lineage of the worlds' greatest royal dynasties of emperors and empresses at its helm, and for the visual splendours projecting the presence of countless palaces and gardens, scattered all over the vast, unforgiving landscapes of the motherland itself?
decisions, decisions.
for a moment or two (that seemed to span an eternity) i was torn inside. but then i remembered that at the end of the expo in october 2010, almost all the pavilions would be dismantled and shipped off to their respective countries, but the china one, and almost all its relevant components would remain as they are, undisturbed. and so i thought, that in all likelihood i would one day come back to shanghai, and if all goes well, ill visit the china one then, and by that time, the hordes of people who crowd every inch of this venue would have been long gone.
and ultimately, i felt that between the two, the italian one did have a more interesting concept behind its design philosophy and its structure was based on a marriage of ideas between east and west, between the modern and the past. and oh yea, lets not forget the women.
"the italian one," i said.
and we quickly broke into 2 groups, where one group went to the china and the other went to the italian one. and when i arrived, i was astounded by what i saw.
i knew i made the right decision.
now let me explain what this pavilion was all about.
at first glance, this design didn't seem all that much to shout about. it looked like a huge, sterile gray box, and a relatively plain collection of stark, bare concrete walls that enclosed its boundaries.
however, upon closer inspection, its elegant and imposing box-like structure was broken into several fragmented pieces for a reason, evident from all four elevations showing intersecting lines like deep grooves, and the main entrance itself was a sharp and exposed clear glass enclosure that signified the entry point in one corner of the pavilion.
the concept of the design was not meant to be conveyed visually however, but through the incorporation of an intriguing material used to build the pavilion, which interestingly enough was called transparent concrete, and in the manner the gray box was broken into its collection of its fragmented pieces, symbolic of a relationship of sorts.
the entire structure was based in form on the chinese puzzle box, an enigmatic contraption from china's past that served as a whimsical toy, secretly testing the mind's agility and prowess. its form was adopted as a means of establishing an instant visual connection to china in general, thus creating a symbolic link to its surrounding environmental context.
transparent concrete, as oxymoronic as that phrase may sound, is a kind of chemically engineered concrete that allows light to pass through its solid form, and where that light diffuses itself as it glows out of its source through the solidity of the concrete itself. the choice of using concrete here was decided upon for a very significant reason, and that was that in antiquity, the engineers of ancient rome were the first people in the world to have successfully concocted the mix of water and aggregates in a chemical soup to create what is effectively known, and used even in the present, modern day concrete.
thus, using material, instead of form, to convey a timeline linking the past to the present was a very unique and imaginative method and strategy in the design of the pavilion, as a statement that bridges history and modernity. the ethereal beauty of a golden hue of light being diffused as it glows out of the pavilion using transparent concrete would become conspicuously and poetically evident once the night arrived.
and so i entered, and i felt an immediate adrenalin rush coursing through my veins the second i was in this grand entrance. the first thing that crossed my mind was a sense that i had walked in a contemporary italian art museum like the ones i visited a long, long time ago in europe.
and upon entering the first thing that i saw, was this model of an ancient archetypal gateway bathed in sunlight from the glass ceilings above, complete with classical elements such as corinthian columns, imposing human figures, florally decorative walls and arches and the likes. this was clearly the commencement point of the journey within the pavilion and its presence was in honour of italy's glorious history.
as i entered through the gateway, i walk though narrow corridors and eventually an open exhibition space, showing various items and objects that were displayed all over the place randomly that were clearly italian in origin.
such fine pieces of work with an exceptionally high quality of detail and workmanship clearly caught my attention, as i admire the time and effort behind such beautiful objects of art.
once i passed out of that hall, i entered this spacious atrium, again bathed in sunlight, that was the empty focal point of the entire pavilion, which was a gathering space of sorts, leading us to different areas of the building.
i particularly liked the vertical placement of the orchestra and its pieces against the wall leading right till the top. "quirky and memorable," i thought.
i entered the first hall on my right, that displayed the various kinds of cuisine and drinks found in abundance across the italian landscape, set in a garden like atmosphere with a live tree in the middle and long strands of yellow grass suspended from the ceiling. this was also the hall that was dedicated in letting people know that the next world expo in 2015 ( after the the 2012 one in korea ) would be held in milan, italy and its theme would be based on providing sustenance for humanity.
how appropriate it seemed that in is this very hall that celebrated food and wine, this particularly significant piece of information, where sustenance would be the focus of the 2015 expo, would be displayed to the public, in anticipation of the country's opportunity to host the future event.
the next hall showcased various items ranging from vehicles to products to fashion and a host of other design - centric paraphernalia that exemplified italian design and its contributions to the world since the beginning of their respective industries. from the old to the new, it was all shown and highlighted for the world to appreciate. once i left the hall and entered the atrium, i was greeted by a sectionally cut life size model of the earliest and biggest brick dome in the world found at florence, and it was placed next to and above the escalator that takes us to the upper level.
and once i took the escalator up, i could see a more enthralling view of the ground floor of the atrium and marvel how physical manifestations of italy's cultural, fashion, musical and artistic contributions were creatively and prominently displayed.
and once i reach the top, i entered a dark tunnel that housed a series of projection screens in an array of simple arches that framed each projection.
the images changed to project an animated story complete with vibrant graphics on the various cultural aspects of the country. these eerie sleeping figures were like statues made of grass, lying motionless on a surface of tranquil still water, quiet and utterly mystifying.
and as i walked around, even from different angles, these fetal - positioned like ghostly figures exuded a mysterious aura about themselves, against a backdrop of moving, zesty images celebrating the country's natural landscapes.
it was an interesting contrast of objects, one seemingly dead and one obviously lively, to say the least.
these additional figures continued that aura and projection of intrigue and mystique, and they stood at about 8 or 9 feet tall, hence their slender, stretched and disproportionate posture.
i walked through all the dark halls on the top floors, observing as many projections as i could before i made my way down into the atrium again. however, i was still unsatisfied with how quickly i rushed through the exhibits under the impression that i didn't have much time. the people that i was with decided to leave after the first round and they told me that they would wait outside for me once i was done, if i decided to take a few more strolls in the pavilion. i agreed without hesitation, expectedly, and i spent about an hour at least in this magnificent gallery that housed all these wonderful treasures of art, design and culture, and continued visually savouring and drooling over their presence.
it was an hour well spent. very, very well spent.
and once i took the last few shots of the atrium space after coming down from the escalator, i left the premises to rejoin with the group, just outside this fantastic slice of italia.
it was a moment of pure exhilaration, coupled with a complete sense of immense personal satisfaction. coming to the expo just for just this one pavilion would have been completely worthwhile, i thought, but of course, they were many more waiting to be explored.
what surprised me at this moment though, at about 6pm was that, some of my american counterparts were thinking of leaving the expo. i was taken aback that they wanted to leave this early, but of course i respected their wishes and i told them i'd meet them for dinner tomorrow night. it was a simple and honest farewell and once again the night belonged to me, and i had better get moving cause there was only about an hour of good sunlight left before it got too dark to appreciate these pavilions in the full radiance of the day.
its time to rush again. off i go.
and as you can see from the first shot i took, people from all walks of life, even shaolin monks, took the time and effort to revel on the grounds of the expo. time to move, baby.
and what better place to start exploring what else the expo had to offer than with what was christened the star attraction of the european zone, and some say even the whole expo than this magnificent, gigantic, silvery cube of prickly transparent and slender rod-like crystals that swayed delicately in light gushes of wind, animating the pavilion with a unique living spirit.
and as soon as i had that thought, something quintessentially english passes me by.
eccentrically so, dont you think?
this was the UK pavilion, and it truly was one of the more resplendent pavilions at the venue, quite possibly in the entire history of the expo itself. i had read about this wonderful piece of public art back home in countless magazines,books and journals, and even saw a revealing documentary on it on the discovery channel, but nothing beats the feeling of actually standing in front of this dazzling colossus and seeing personally its charismatic appearance, its ever-changing fuzzy membrane and its graceful temperance.
i was awestruck.
and i told myself if i visit just one last pavilion at the expo later on at night once everyone started leaving and the crowd has lessened considerably, than its got to be this one. (mission accomplished, by the way)
and as i turn around, i see this strange of mixture of various urban - influenced elements, inspired partly by some insane architect's fantasy in unorthodox urban planning, and by a collection of real life structures arranged hazardously together, without any rhyme or reason. it was like a crazed playground on multiple steroids, where each component that was supposed to convey playfulness and joy had been exaggerated and embellished hundreds of times over, until this weird cocktail of design styles inadvertently emerged, straight out of a trippy dream by some weed - smoking hippie. oddly enough it was called "happy street" and this was the pavilion presented by the netherlands. well, this is where amsterdam is located, and we all know what that city is famous for the world over.
"ill give this one a pass," i thought.
and these were the other pavilions as i had momentarily glimpsed as i was was hurriedly walking around. some were more interesting than others, but all worthy of a quick look.
i started off with what seemed to be, from a distance, a gleamingly white, attractive collection of highly ornate but distorted shaped cubic towers, like some celestial fortress, and as i got closer i sensed an immediate connection between this structure to the world famous kremlin building in red square, moscow.
this was of course the russia pavilion, and its rich patterns was adopted from cultural and artistic references, set against towers mirroring a deformed version of the actual citadels and spires of the kremlin. in both instances, they looked like wedding cakes to the laymen, and in this case, the kremlin one was an old style wedding cake, and this one, a contemporary one.
and most importantly, like mother russia herself, the pavilion was big and the pavilion was beautiful.
then i walked around and saw an interesting juxtaposition of 2 distinct forms and materials existing side by side. metal on grass. artificial on natural. modernity and nature. this was the irish pavilion, and it was as green as the lovely hills and mountains that dot the dry landscapes of the island itself.
the one next to it was the austrian one, conveying an organic form, consisting of swooping curves from one end to the other. its walls had a glossy, plastic - like quality to the touch, and its appearance resembled a smoothened-out giant boulder, with swirls of maroon coloured lines partly shown on an otherwise completely white surface.
and the one of the last ones i saw was also an interesting mix of materials, which was predominantly timber and membrane. the structure itself, resembling a modern log cabin, was made of a timber skeleton covered with timber panels, accompanied by the incorporation of membrane sails. most notably on the roof and awnings, forming graceful curvaceous silhouettes against the hardness of the straight lines of the timber paneling.
it was also a play of the old and the new, a theme so prevalent here at the expo.
the last one i visited was the swedish pavilion, the one that i had earlier felt resembled three malicious-looking borg cubes, placed side by side. some of my friends from the US were still around, and they told me that they would be at the swedish one at about 6.45 pm.
i decided to join them at the last minute, and i had better rushed before they left. and as soon i took the escalator up and entered the pavilion on the first floor, only one word appeared instantly in my mind, and that word was ...yup, you guessed it ..."IKEA"
i really felt i had walked in IKEA the minute i saw everything displayed around me, including things like kids' furniture, light fixtures, chairs and tables for all occasions and lots of other functional pieces of design all placed in a playful and colourful atmosphere, with stainless steel and multi-coloured tubes poking out of every corner from the walls and the ceilings.
they even had a tunnel slide from one floor to another, so that you could slide down through a cyan coloured plastic tube, all in the name of juvenile fun, and clearly people from all ages were having a good time.
they were some other areas dedicated to the country's state of society, economy and culture, but as much as 3/4 of the interior spaces were dedicated to things and settings like these, emphasizing innovation and creativity in a fun and lively kind of way.
its the swedish approach to industry, i guessed, and the philosophy seems to be serving the country well, that's for sure. i met up with a few of my comrades at the entrance downstairs and this time, everyone decided to leave. i said i was planning to stay on longer, most likely till midnight, and i'll meet them tomorrow night for dinner.
i had begun making my way out of the pavilion, and on my way, i saw how the three separate cubes that made up the swedish pavilion were connected as as a whole. simple maintenance bridges linked each cube and could be seen through glass panels across some of the walls.
at this time, it was about 7.30 pm.
and as soon as i exited, the first shot of a pavilion that i took at night was the swedish one, glowing with intersecting channels of light on its circuit-like exterior walls, and i could see how the utilization of creative lighting techniques would now show a whole new way of looking the pavilions of the expo.
it was clear that the day had passed, and the dark of the night quickly cloaked the skies above the expo, and the expo itself would inevitably come alive with a whole new identity, one shimmering in artificial bursts of light, and revealing a whole new experience of exciting perspectives at the expo. and once again, a sense of elation began to surface.
my final night on the grounds of this collection of international pavilions would unmask many a splendorous thing that i would otherwise have missed during the rush of the day, and i can't wait to see how some of these masterpieces would look like once bathed in the soft heavenly glow of moonlight.
and so i wait for a moment. and i take comfort in its quietude.on to the final night.
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