PHOTOS: Presence Switzerland - Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA
Located in the Opportunity District, the Swiss Pavilion attracts and welcomes visitors from afar with its outstanding design and powerful thematic significance. While wholeheartedly expressing the Swiss values of inventiveness and openness, the Swiss Pavilion (dubbed “Reflections”) encourages visitors to reflect upon themselves, other people, and the significance of learning from each other to shape our collective futures. The theme of is further brought to life in the pavilion’s visitor journey, which unfolds in three acts that reflect Switzerland’s culture, natural beauty, and innovations.
The first act revolves around culture and begins at the entrance, where the structure's mirrored façade reflects the red carpet at its base to display the Swiss flag. Approaching visitors, equipped with “sunbrellas,” interact with the mirrors and each other, actively shaping the pavilion's reflections together in the spirit of the Expo theme "Connecting Minds – Creating the Future." The playful, bright exterior is contrasted by the dark, quiet atmosphere of the “Crystal Cave” entrance, which mimics being underground and is meant to calm emotions. As visitors' eyes adjust to the darkness, they are led to the next act, the climax of the visitor experience, in utmost anticipation.
Switzerland's natural beauty is the star of the second act, where visitors hike the Swiss Alps through a sea of real fog until they reach the summit, where a spectacular mountain panorama awaits. The presentation encompasses a soundscape and video projections that fuse into a dreamy journey through gorgeous Swiss landscapes. The lightshow and fog create a memorable sensory experience; one that sparks a powerful emotional connection to Switzerland and embodies the themes of reflection, discovery, and changing perspectives.
The third and final act of the visitor journey revolves around innovation, as Switzerland is recognized as the world's most innovative country on the Global Innovation Index. In this final act, drops of water fall in a choreographed ballet, each representing an idea or innovation. Visitors are invited to catch droplets and draw knowledge from the fountains of innovation to find their own ideas for shaping a better world.
This three-act visit to the Swiss Pavilion is a journey through Switzerland that follows a dramaturgical structure, in the same way that a film’s bigger picture is revealed when one watches the entire movie from beginning to end. In the Swiss Pavilion, each act also represents its own unique journey with no explicit transitions between the rooms, making each act a stand-alone experience of color, mood, and symbolism.
Upon exiting the pavilion, visitors can enjoy a classic Swiss tradition and world-famous Swiss hospitality at the ice cream parlor and chocolate shop, or they can simply take a moment to rest in the wadi-inspired gardens that sketch a relationship between Orient and Occident. Visitors can also choose to have a drink and a traditional Swiss dish while they enjoy the view from the rooftop terrace, one of the few rooftops open to the public during Expo 2020 Dubai.
