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A monument to biodiversity

The U.K.’s pavilion is one of the most striking at the Shanghai Expo, not due to its size, but rather because both its design and message are among the most original of the entire event.

Zigor Aldama | Shanghai | 14 june 2010


Photo: Zigor Aldama
It looks like a square-shaped pile of hair, but the U.K.’s Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo is exciting passions among visitors. It is easy to understand why; most of the hundred or so buildings covering the Expo’s five hectares are a succession of variations on the same theme. The monotony is broken only here and there with a handful of spectacular and original creations, among which also stands out the Spanish Pavilion.

But in the British case, its impact comes not only from its aesthetic form but also from its content, which is where many countries put aside the Expo’s theme “Better City, Better Life” for more or less shameless promotion of their respective tourism industries. It is clear that the big event this year in China is more about economics than about urban design, but there are exceptions.

Great Britain’s “seed cathedral” has already been ranked as the “number one reason to love the Expo” by City Weekend, one of the most important publications of the leisure sector in China. And they do not exaggerate. What first strikes the visitor is the exterior of this small space; 60,000 resin hairs transform the cube into a chameleonic sphere that changes in tone depending on the temperature and that, regardless of the angle of the viewer, always depicts an image of the Union Jack on its façade. Moreover, these filaments are the source of light inside during the day, which makes it the only room open to the public in a location filled with mystery.


Photo: Zigor Aldama
But the show starts before entering the pavilion. The line can be up to three hours long to access the pavilion’s ground of a small park of artificial turf, which gives the appearance of being the wrapping paper that had enveloped the ball of hair and creates a breathing space around the building. Once inside the grounds of the pavilion, one finds the first point of interest – a series of maps of British cities in which only the green areas have been left. It is so surprising to see, especially in a concrete jungle like Shanghai and taking into account the important industrial reputation of these British cities, how Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh and London are covered by large patches of green with white splashes that represent the buildings. It effectively demonstrates the first rule of sustainable development – the need for green spaces and clean air.

These maps located on one side of the pavilion mark the way to the main attraction –
the seed cathedral. This is where each of the filaments shows its true raison d'être; every one contains a different seed. Without doubt, the interior is spectacular and is an ode to the planet's biodiversity. The 60,000 species on display are from the China Botany Institute in Kunming, which participates in the U.K.’s Millennium Seed Bank program.

And that is all there is – a room with a large part of the planet’s flora enclosed in plastic. For some, accustomed to the special effects and 3D projections of other pavilions, it does not seem worth the wait. However, these criticisms of the general public clash with the praises of experts, in another sign that the Expo is a mass spectacle and not the place to move our planet forward toward a better future, which is exactly what is proposed at the exit of the British pavilion.

This last section is called “Living City” and displays the plants of the future created in a laboratory that can be used in various applications from medicine to the fight against climate change. Most visitors pass by without knowing exactly what these strange plastic plants are. The message reaches few people, but it is well worth stopping to try and take it in. And what better way to end the visit than by lying in the sun in the pavilion’s park, even if it is synthetic.

Comments

       
3 comments

thomas sabo 26/09/2010
La majoria dels visitants hi passa de llarg, sense saber molt bé què són aquests vegetals estranys fets amb plàstic. El missatge cala en poca gent, però val la pena traslladar-lo. I què millor que acabar la visita estirat al sol al parc del pavelló, encara que sigui sintètic. http://www.shoppingthomassabo.org/

thomas sabo 26/09/2010
La majoria dels visitants hi passa de llarg, sense saber molt bé què són aquests vegetals estranys fets amb plàstic. El missatge cala en poca gent, però val la pena traslladar-lo. I què millor que acabar la visita estirat al sol al parc del pavelló, encara que sigui sintètic. http://www.shoppingthomassabo.org/

thomas sabo 26/09/2010
La majoria dels visitants hi passa de llarg, sense saber molt bé què són aquests vegetals estranys fets amb plàstic. El missatge cala en poca gent, però val la pena traslladar-lo. I què millor que acabar la visita estirat al sol al parc del pavelló, encara que sigui sintètic. http://www.shoppingthomassabo.org/

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