The UK Pavilion for the Dubai Expo 2020 will be designed by artist and designer Es Devlin. This piece of performance architecture is titled “Poem Pavilion”. It features a communicative LED facade and an illuminated LED maze. The pavilion celebrates British expertise in the field of artificial intelligence (AI).
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The main theme of the Dubai Expo 2020 is “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”. The world expo aims to foster creativity while creating a platform for countries to showcase their innovation and expertise. It also looks to promote collaboration on a global scale. Around 25 million visitors are expected to come to the Dubai Expo 2020, including the heads of governments across the world. The UK will be one of 180 nations participating in the Dubai Expo 2020, alongside NGOs and sponsors.
Courtesy of UK Department for International Trade
As was the case with the United Kingdom’s previous pavilions at Shanghai Expo 2010 (The Seed Cathedral) and Milan Expo 2015 (The Hive), this pavilion also promises a unique experience. Moreover, it is the first UK Pavilion to be designed by a female designer.”The quality of design proposals we received for the UK pavilion has a testament to the UK’s world-leading creative talent and I’m confident that Es Devlin OBE and the team will help us take advantage of this unique opportunity to showcase the very best of British to a truly global audience,” said Dr. Liam Fox MP, the International Trade Secretary.
Located in the “Opportunity District”, the cone-shaped pavilion will have rows of slats that extend from one central point to form a circular facade. Extending 20-meters high, the pavilion will project numerous illuminated Artificial Intelligence generated poems to space. With poems of different languages like Arabic, Chinese, French, and English, Devlin hopes to include the visitors of different backgrounds and welcome them into the pavilion. In addition, the visitors of the pavilion can also contribute to the messages that will be projected.
Courtesy of UK Department for International Trade
“The idea draws directly on one of Stephen Hawking’s final projects, ‘Breakthrough Message’, a global competition that Stephen Hawking and his colleagues conceived in 2015 inviting people worldwide to consider what message we would communicate to express ourselves as a planet, should we one day encounter other advanced civilizations in space,” explained Es Devlin.
“Poetry brings order to language, and machine-learning is a way to weave our voices together without prejudice while following the rhythms of centuries of poetic thought in a range of diverse cultures.”
Courtesy of UK Department for International Trade
The structure’s entrance is through the illuminated Maze of Aspiration. Devlin has managed to turn the boring ordeal of standing in a queue into an entertaining experience for the visitors. She has added augmented reality-enhanced exhibitions to educate the visitors about Britain’s progress in the field of Artificial Intelligence and space technology.
Inside the pavilion, there will be the “Choral Space” which will have choirs from all over the world joining forces to form a choral soundtrack. Devlin designed the interiors such that visitors would feel like they are inside the resonating chamber of a wooden musical instrument.
The London and Dubai-based Avantgarde who are producing the design will join with Structural engineers Atelier One and Sustainability Engineers Atelier Ten to deliver the design. The pavilion is to be made of layers of CNC-cut cross-laminated timber, populated with LEDs.
The Dubai Expo 2020 will take place between October 20, 2020, and April 21, 2021.