Expo 2015 Awards: Best Presentation

expo awards

Japan Pavilion (Harmony)
Client: Japan External Trade Organization
Design: Dentsu Inc.; TeamLab
Fabrication: Expo Milano 2015 Japan Pavilion Exhibition Consortium, Prism

PHOTOs: TeamLab Inc.

Expo 2015 Awards:
Best Presentation

Demonstrating the significance of rice in feeding Japan's millions, the Japan Pavilion's immersive presentation entitled "Harmony" harks back to the Asian culture's notion that cultivating rice brings unity and accord.

Visitors enter a darkened room bordered by mirrors where hundreds of undulating, floor mounted structures symbolizing rice paddies are projection-mapped with the illusion of a living ecosystem. The lily-pad-like fabric elements sway with movement, while virtual pools of water surrounding them ripple with schools of fish. A white stork glides through a twilight sky as the rice fields transform from the verdant greens of spring to the frosty blues of winter.

The room's mirrored walls create the illusion of an endless expanse. In the artificial nightscape of the room, the rice paddies blaze as if ignited by moonlight, visitors stand hushed before them. Closing the presentation, dozens of animated dancers appear on the walls, celebrating the sacredness of the staple food. "I adore how technology was employed with 3-D components to create a truly immersive experience," said one judge of the dynamic environment, which seamlessly merged agriculture, audiovisual elements, and art.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

European Union Pavilion (The Golden Ear)

European Union Pavilion (The Golden Ear)
Client: European Commission
Design: BRC Imagination Arts
Fabrication: MCI/Dorier Group

PHOTOS: BRC Imagination Arts

Limited by a small physical footprint, the European Union (EU) had a big challenge nevertheless: sell European attendees on the idea that the government entity can help bring the EU's often-fractious 500 million members together for the common good. Attendees lining up for the presentation first encounter family photographs and mementos of the "The Golden Ear's" two main characters, Sylvia and Alex, chronicling them through the years. The Instagram-like look into their lives is followed by a visit to the preshow room modeled after Sylvia's modern apartment and Alex's traditional farm house, where LCD screens set in picture frames and projection-mapped walls chart the star-crossed couple's early lives and conflicts. The story fully unfolds in an auditorium where a 4-K animated film and a variety of 4-D effects – including wafting scents, misty rain, and vibrating floors – bring the story of enmity that ends in amour to profound life.

Open Air Theater (Allavita!)

Open Air Theater (Allavita!)
Client/Design/Fabrication: 45 Degrees, Cirque du Soleil's Special Events Company

photos: 45 Degrees

Invited by Expo 2015 organizers to create a unique show dedicated to the culture of food, Cirque du Soleil's special events company, 45 Degrees, crafted Allavita! ("To Life!"), brimming with a melange of awe-inspiring acrobatics and show-stopping costumes to convey the deep union between food and life. The show begins with actors handing out seeds to the audience, then shifts from the seats to the stage, where Leonardo, a teenage boy, is gifted with a magical seed of wheat by his grandmother. From the seed sprouts Farro, an imaginary friend, who guides Leonardo on a journey of courage and hope – as well as trampolines, bungee cords, and giant puppets. Held in Expo 2015's Open Air Theatre, each show required 47 players employing 500 costume items to create 175 different looks during the 60-minute performance. Their artistry was crowned at each of the show's 80 performances with Luciano Pavarotti's "Nessun Dorma," from the Puccini opera "Turandot," whose melody streaked across the sky like a meteor.