Sharjah24: Located in the sustainability district, the Spain Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai has exceeded one million visits since its opening in October 2021, nearly 9 per cent of the total visitors to the world fair until date.
On the 15th of February, the Executive Commissioner General of the Spain Pavilion, Carmen Bueno welcomed the visitor one million, an Irish man living in Abu Dhabi who was visiting the Expo site together with his family. To celebrate, the Pavilion organized an exclusive guided visit of the permanent exhibition and gifted him with a dinner for two in the exclusive Azotea restaurant and with a gift bag full of souvenirs of the Pavilion.
According to a recent survey carried out by the pavilion on how much visitors would recommend, on a scale from 1 to 5 (being 5 highly recommended) stopping by, the pavilion reached an average score of 4.6.
Speaking of the occasion, Carmen Bueno said: “The Spain Pavilion has been one of the key attractions at Expo 2020 Dubai and has received great interest from visitors from all over the world (…) I am very proud of the staff having reached one million visits with such great feedback.“
Under the motto, ´Intelligence for life´, the pavilion aims to become an example of intelligent creativity, capable of uniting people around sustainable projects in the fields of science, technology, education, and art.
Attractions at the pavilion:
Commissioned to Amann-Cánovas-Maruri studio, the Spain Pavilion is an eco-friendly exhibition that seamlessly blends ancient heritage and cutting-edge innovation. The Pavilion stands out for its enormous colourful cones, partially covered with ultralight and flexible photovoltaic panels that led visitors to an airy ground floor containing several, naturally cooled plazas featuring, ‘Glimpses’, a series of exhibitions synthesizing some of the most relevant contributions of Spain to the global culture and highlighting some of the historical links between the country and the Arab culture.
Connecting the old and the new, is Dynamo, an audio-visual sculpture by renowned artist Daniel Cologar. The artistic installation hangs inside the Atrium and is surrounded by the ramps that descend visitors into the Theatre and the underground exhibition area. It consists of three sculptural screens in the form of an interlaced ringlet that show constantly changing generative audio-visual content thanks to the visitors’ interaction with the handrails along the ramp. As the handrail detects more contact, the content on the screens of Dinamo become more dynamic and saturated; and the sound intensifies.
At the Pavilion theatre, visitors have also the opportunity to enjoy ‘August Moon’, an 8-minute movie by one of the most creative minds in the Spanish film industry today, Nacho Vigalondo. Following Expo 2020 Dubai theme, ‘Connecting minds, creating the future, and the slogan of the Spain Pavilion, ‘Intelligence for life’, the film presents Spain as a dynamic, lively country, brimming with talent and creativity, that is committed to a sustainable and inclusive future.
On the lower floor, visitors can find the most sought-after attraction at the pavilion, ‘The forest of intelligence’. A 3D printed artificial forest capable of producing oxygen and an interactive tree that reacts to the sustainable habits of the public. A mix of design, art and technology to create a unique immersive experience in which the richness of the Spanish heritage, science, biodiversity, innovations in sustainability and the circular economy are highlighted.
The exhibition ends with a ramp that accompanies visitors along a 100-m long corridor with pictures of Spaniards of all ages, classes and backgrounds smiling at visitors while texts appear with some of the highlights that make Spain one of the countries with the best quality of life.
During the six months of the Expo, a total of 32 Spanish companies, including 200 artists, will present their work in Dubai. Around 100 shows will take place in the Spain Pavilion and on the main stages in the Expo venue. Inside the pavilion, numerous activities ranging from arts to sports are taking place with thematic weeks and international days, along with, business forums and activities organized by its sponsors.