When we talk about sustainability, we must refer to culture because identity and sustainability depend on cumulative societal practices. The pavilions at Expo 2020 Dubai express these connections and values.
Kyiv. Ukraine. Ukraine Gate – October 11, 2021 – Forums and Conferences
Many types of green innovations are on display at Expo 2020, with innovations on display aimed at solving global energy problems – such as the portable U-light – and examples of international companies working to be more sustainable – L’Oréal’s perfume refill system for example. One of the most advanced technologies is Source, which makes clean water out of the air and sunlight by means of innovative hydro panels.
Morocco Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. Instagram
The idea of ?? preserving identity and culture is exactly why, for the first time, the 192 participating countries at Expo 2020 Dubai have separate spaces to freely display these concepts in their own way and why Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has promised that this would be the best exhibition in 170 years. . The Poland and Morocco wings are two of the many countries that look to tradition to develop the future. Poland’s use of wood and timber in the design is very alluring, similar to Morocco’s use of earthy methods, the sandy exterior honoring nature, as well as the design of the leaves of Azerbaijan and the frankincense tree in Oman. The Italy Pavilion, co-designed by Carlo Rati, is a Renaissance factory that connects visitors through its beauty. Carmen Bueno, Deputy Commissioner and Director of the Spanish Pavilion, explains other links through the development of chess and the common architectural heritage between Arabs and Spaniards in Andalusia. The question is not how we view the future, but rather how we view ourselves and others in it.
Recently, Dr. Mohamed Ould Ammar, Director General of the Arab Organization for Education, Culture and Science (ALECSO), honored a cultural ambassador. Their main ambition is to promote our Arab culture regionally and internationally. Feeling “ourselves” is a generic idea that has grown up in traditions fixed over time. In Arabic, we say that “habit-bearers are unable to relinquish their habits” – cultural continuity, just like sustainability, is a natural way of progressing individually and collectively. Calligraphy benches deployed at Expo 2020 honor Arabic language and calligraphy as an ancient tradition, and invite family groups of loved ones to enjoy the splendor of their surroundings.
Al Wasl Plaza is a great feature of the Expo 2020 site. Al Wasl means “the link”, and it is a link between all people and ideas.
“(Al Wasl Plaza) theater will be a lasting memorial for residents and locals alike, to be seen as a proud memory,” said Nahla Al-Fahad, the woman behind the iconic Expo 2020 commercial “Win ?? Siren.” The director of the film added: “Al Wasl Square will present a lot of Arabic poetry in different shows. It’s also a garden, and the materials used on top provide perfect shade, successfully reducing indoor temperatures by up to three degrees.”
With its circular shape and twenty orbital spheres, a luminous dome that imitates a Bronze Age ring found at the Saruq Al-Hadid archaeological site in Dubai symbolizes the event as if nations were planets revolving around the center of this scene of dialogue.
Dunes are another impressive feature of Expo 2020 that creeps into the design of the various pavilions – a scented coffee trail in the Italy Pavilion, a soaring red entrance to the Swiss Pavilion, the color of which will continue to change over the coming months. Then there is the steep and astonishing ascent to Saudi Arabia’s rich heritage and renewed spirit, which was inaugurated by Mohammed Al-Tuwaijri, Vice Chairman of the Supervisory Committee of the Saudi Arabia Pavilion. The UAE pavilion, “A story about the dream of the Emirates,” which Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed posted on Twitter, displayed actual audio and visual images of the sand dunes. Some expressions of the desert theme represent social engagement and similar viewpoints.
Views about ourselves or others are developed by interaction. At the opening ceremony, while we were watching, my mother, Sheikha Fikra Bint Saeed, drew our attention to the young star in a pink and gold Gulf dress, presented by model Mira Singh. Her movements on stage, mixing one by one with the different groups and emphasizing cooperation as a universal value, did not solve the uniqueness of any of the groups and did not erase the girl’s representation of Arabia’s past and present.
Another set of performances will take place in Jubilee Park, where Kappa Hakka dancers from New Zealand, with their big smiles and ornate chin tattoos, will represent an ancient Maori spiritual tradition that marks the pathways of life and adherence to their ancestral identities. In the deserts of the Arab world, different and comparable to the Maoris of the early twentieth century, simple tattoos were a beautiful feature of the Bedouins – an example of ancient ideas emanating from diverse mindsets. Meanings vary nowadays and styles change in the ways we all honor our pasts and still achieve our futures. Societies depend on understanding our entities, and in turn, development depends on valuing our cultural ties and diversity.
Read Also: How Expo 2020 Dubai Hopes to Inspire Action to Tackle Pressing Global Challenges
Source: Ukrgate
