Spain opens a door to the world from Expo Dubai 2020

Spain has publicly presented the pavilion that will represent the country at the Dubai World Expo 2020, the first world fair of its kind to be held in the MEASA (Middle East, Africa and South Asia) area between 1 October 2021 and 31 March 2022. 

A press conference has served to offer from Emirati territory all the details of what will be the infrastructure that will represent the Spanish nation in the world dubai event that had to be delayed for a year due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The presentation of the Spanish Pavilion from Dubai was attended by José Andrés Torres Mora, president of Acción Cultural Española; Carmen Bueno, executive curator of the Spanish Pavilion for Expo Dubai 2020; Nicolás Maruri, head of the architecture studio Temperaturas Extremas Arquitectos, responsible for the project; Carmelo Zapulla, head of the studio External References/Onion Lab; the digital artist Daniel Canogar; and the musical composer Guillermo López.

José Andrés Torres Mora began the public appearance by explaining the work carried out by Acción Cultural Española, a state-owned company created to disseminate Spanish culture inside and outside Spain, in collaboration with various Spanish governmental bodies. 

He highlighted the merit of sharing the work carried out with those who have worked for this project, within what is the "first great international celebration of the victory against the virus".

José Andrés Torres Mora stated that one of the main objectives of this initiative was to "strengthen commercial networks and strategic and political alliances". 

For her part, Carmen Bueno, executive commissioner of the Spanish Pavilion, wanted to highlight the culmination of a process that has taken longer than expected due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. She said that it had been necessary to "adapt many work processes" and that "this complicated life". "We are happy to see the end of this work process and the beginning of the first major universal exhibition in the Arab world and North Africa and the first major event at the tail end of the pandemic," said the spokesperson for the Spain Pavilion for Expo Dubai 2020.

"Connecting minds, creating the future" is the motto of the Dubai World Expo 2020; a world fair based on the principles of Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability, as the three main thematic areas, as Carmen Bueno reminded us. The head of the Spanish Pavilion pointed out that it was decided to install the infrastructure in the Sustainability area because of the national alignment with the principles of the 2030 Agenda. "The entire pavilion is the result of this decision," said Carmen Bueno. 

The head of the Spanish pavilion revealed the motto of the Spanish installation, which is "Intelligence for Life". A more precise approach was sought under the slogan "Intelligence for life". In this case, it is about making the most of the resources that humanity has from the environment and conserving them in order to pass them on as intact as possible for future generations. 

The building is a symbol of this motto and is a striking element in the context of Dubai, a city of very contemporary and striking architecture, but homogeneous in terms of materials and forms. The Spanish pavilion stands out as a cheerful, eye-catching and colourful space in this environment. 

Meanwhile, Nicolás Maruri, head of the architecture studio Temperaturas Extremas Arquitectos, spoke to explain the architectural project itself, which is based on the amazement shown at a place like Dubai, which is home to extraordinary elements linked to the most modern. "Building here is difficult, and it is from this amazement that the idea of how to work with our current problems and talk about where we come from arises", said Nicolás Maruri.

The expert indicated that building a space protected from the sun was the first intention. This space houses a square, with an open and colourful environment designed to show a character or way of being like the Spanish.

The first space is open, formed by cones. "It is like a tray that contains objects, freedom, relationship, connection, implicit concepts about how to see the space. It has places to share. Diversity is a condition that defines Spanish," Maruri said. "Each cone has different scales, colours, textures, different messages. From the union and reflection on these messages, we will have a vision of what Spain is", explained the head of the architecture studio in charge of the project. 

This pavilion seeks a mixture of the analogue and tradition with the digital and the future, as Carmen Bueno and Nicolás Maruri emphasised.  

The upper part, the atrium, articulates the union between the traditional space and the futuristic one, which is in the lower part with a place prepared for the exhibition of the film made by the filmmaker Nacho Vigalondo for this occasion, which talks about the digital and the future. 

Carmen Bueno also recalled that the clear communication objective from different levels of the Spanish Government was to outline a clear axis in which the pavilion should demonstrate the innovation of Spanish companies, very present in the creation of infrastructures and services; all of this closely linked to sustainability, but also with the obligatory mission of creating an area in which the message is left that Spain is the fruit of a long tradition and a series of historical contributions.

The exhibition discourse is based on the tradition-innovation axis. In the tradition part, the exhibition 'Sparkles' is developed, which aims to give brief and significant brushstrokes of the Spanish contribution to the current globalisation and the general motto of Expo Dubai linked to creating the future based on the collaboration of all humanity. It is a free-roaming area, to appreciate the flashes of the different cones and different colours.

The first "sparkle" seeks to present Spain in a consensual way with different governmental bodies in order to make the country known.  Another "flash" is related to chess, one of the fruits of the cultural relationship between the Arab and Spanish worlds.  Another 'flash' is related to the Spanish language, and another to Spanish geographical discoveries, with special mention of Balmis's historic philanthropic smallpox vaccination expedition, useful to remember in the current pandemic era. Another 'flash' serves to show the heritage that links Spain to Al-Andalus. Carmen Bueno explained that they are "flashes", bursts of information to generate curiosity in visitors. 

The head of the Spanish Pavilion for Expo Dubai also made reference to the "Intelligence for Life" space, with the Spanish contribution to the knowledge of the brain through figures such as Ramón y Cajal. 

Another exhibition area of the Spanish pavilion is the "Forest of the Future", which was explained by Carmelo Zapulla, head of the External References studio, which collaborated with Onion Lab for the contents of the Spanish infrastructure. 

Zapulla referred in this case to seeking the challenge of a "sensory experience with a strong interactive load". He highlighted the collaborative work and two parts of the pavilion, with one floor dedicated more to analogue, which speaks of tradition and the past. All of this with the presence of curved walls to provide narrative elements. Elements based on natural aspects linked to the system of squares that the pavilion offers for all visitors. Carmelo Zapulla also made reference to various samples of the Spanish overseas expeditions of the past, with information on electronic ink screens. 

There is also a sphere of the Spanish language as a global language. All of these spaces are related to elements of Muslim architecture. With lattices that protect from extreme weather, for example.

From here, a ramp leads from the past to the future; thus, from the circular squares on the surface, access is gained to the basement area, with the presence of the Spain of the future oriented towards working in a sustainable world. The aim is to offer a technological forest as a pretext to talk about the future of Spain and the future of Spanish companies and research. It is an artificial forest of 150 trees, but with natural behaviour and digital manufacturing technologies. A forest that absorbs CO2. It houses a place to cultivate microalgae, organisms that generate 70% of the world's oxygen. This is where technology and nature come together.

From there you reach the area of intelligent territories. The "Tree of Balance" serves as an example of collective intelligence. Only through universal awareness and collective intelligence will we be aware of environmental problems and be able to improve this endangered world," explained Carmelo Zapulla. 

In this space, people interact with the tree by answering an environmental quiz. In this scenario, the tree will grow and become greener or start to die and lose leaves depending on the answers given by the visitors. 

For his part, the digital artist Daniel Canogar presented the work of art called "Dinamo". It is a work housed in the atrium that links the open part of cones with the underground that houses the more futuristic part and the film by Nacho Vigalondo. 

"Dinamo is a work of art with technological components that shows our union," Canogar pointed out. Its components include a sculptural screen, with technology created specifically for this pavilion. The work itself is made up of three rings hanging from one of the cones, with a ton and a half. The idea arose from an interest in breaking with the traditional screen format, sculpting the screen and generating a dialogue with the public, as Daniel Canogar explained. 

Another component is a spiral walkway with an interactive light railing designed for this project, which invites the public to activate the work. It is an interactive component, through which the public activates the work. "They give energy to this dynamo," said Daniel Canogar. Another component is the soundscape, with an environment of light and surround sound that forces one to pay attention. It is an experiential work to enjoy the element of light, art and sound.

Here, "Dinamo" functions as a metaphor for that system that takes energy from the audience and acquires a certain autonomy to activate and trigger itself. 

Afterwards, it was the turn of the composer Guillermo López, who explained the sound work carried out for the Spain Pavilion, and the filmmaker Nacho Vigalondo, who, through a video, presented the short film 'August Moon', which will be shown in the lower part of the pavilion related to the most futuristic aspect of Spain. 

Nacho Vigalondo explained in his speech that 'August Moon' is a "great adventure" and pointed out that it was "difficult to make the piece". The film was conceived before the pandemic, but despite this, it reflects part of the current situation generated after the impact of the health crisis caused by the coronavirus. The short film is in line with the issues addressed in the Spanish pavilion for Expo Dubai, dealing with problems and collective solutions to them. 

Carmen Bueno also explained the symbolic presence of the game of chess as a link between Arab and Spanish cultures. There will be a chess tournament with a final phase after previous phases. The finals will be held in the Spanish Pavilion for Expo Dubai and in the Dubai Exhibition Center, with the presence of 12 teams from 9 different countries.

Finally, the head of the Spanish infrastructure at the Dubai world fair referred to the cultural programme, with the presence of artists such as Miguel Poveda, and pointed out that ten themed weeks designed by the organisers of Expo Dubai 2020 are scheduled to serve to intensify bilateral, commercial and technological relations between the more than 190 participating countries. 

In this case, Acción Cultural and Spanish governmental entities will try to give visibility to Spanish companies and brands.