Photos courtesy of think!OTS.
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| Theme: ImagiNation |
Design/Fabrication: think!OTS |
| Size: 20,500 square feet |
Client: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia |
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Exterior Design: Featuring sculptured curving walls and a red ochre exterior, the 66-foot-tall Australian pavilion’s appearance was inspired by that continent’s famed Ayer’s Rock. Made from a special “weathering” steel called Corten, the pavilion’s façade changes colors in response to Shanghai’s torrid heat and humidity, continually aging into a deep rust-red color that evokes the Mars-like hue and geography of Ayers and central Australia.
Pavilion Summary: Visitors enter through a 525-foot-long, glass-enclosed ramp leading them into a space designed to accommodate 50,000 attendees per day. Divided into three main acts — “Journey,” “Discover,” and “Enjoy” — the pavilion’s presentations depict Australia’s indigenous and colonial cultures though multi-media art installations that run from gruff to ghostly. The six scenes comprising “Journey,” include a psychedelically intense mix of native sculptures and drawings, where speakers hidden inside totems generate an eerie ambiance. That respectful attitude toward indigenous culture gives way to a blustery portrayal of Australia’s 222 years of colonial history, with illustrations and models whose look draws from the works of one of the country’s most famous political cartoonists.
Other scenes in the first act include “Sisters,” a series of mini-documentaries. Playing in two- to three-minute segments, the film highlights 22 Chinese and Australian women struggling to improve their communities. In the scene entitled “Land,” the designers re-create the Wave Rock tourist attraction and a massive acrylic wave that seems frozen in mid-air to dispel the notion that Australians live in the harsh Outback. Infographics embedded in the displays compare Chinese and Australian demographic data.
More soft than scientific, the last two acts include a 10-minute-long Australian travelogue; six 16-by-16-foot screens move around the stage continuously, creating a different visual experience for attendees depending on which angle they view it from. The concluding act three interprets the eight Australian States and Territories through enormous flora with dreamlike-shapes and
surreal hues.
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