Shanghai: By the time the World Expo comes to a close at the end of October, the UAE pavilion will have struck a remarkable balance between telling the nation's history, its present, and its future.
A visit to the expo by Gulf News showed that the pavilion was very popular, with queues of visitors lining up in front of the entrance to see three great multimedia shows that impressively showcase the life and culture in the UAE, and its visions for the future, according to Ahmad Salem Al Shaiba, deputy pavilion director.
The pavilion was being supervised by the National Media Council of the UAE.
Shaped to resemble sand dunes, the structure dominates the "skyline" of the country pavilions on the banks of Shanghai's Huangpu River in the Pudong district.
The outer covering of the pavilion is made of gold-coloured stainless steel.
Its undulating roof, looking as if it has been shaped by the wind, makes the pavilion shimmer and change colours, to conjure images of the UAE's various natural environments.
The total number of people who will have visited the UAE pavilion is to be announced after the World Expo closes on October 31.
However, it is understood that more than one million visitors had toured the pavilion by September.
The tour leads visitors through three halls, each of which was showing videos or multimedia presentations about the UAE and its people.
The first video, which can be watched in a movie theatre, describes the history of the UAE from the days of its Bedouin culture, pearl production and trade followed by the discovery of oil and the transformation of the country into a modern society.
The story is presented as a dialogue: a grandfather talking to his grandson around a campfire at night in the desert. The second hall is more multimedia-oriented. Visitors are asked to sit on the ground, as they would in a majlis, and gather around columns with multiple screens.
Role of women
In several videos, Emirati personalities and professionals in fields including business, health care, sports, art and others are speaking about their career. The role of women in the UAE is also highlighted. The third attraction is a theatre where the journey of two children is shown, displayed as hologrammes on a stage and as comic figures in a movie. The characters, one Emirati boy and a Chinese girl, are flying over various regions and landmarks of the UAE, interacting with people on the ground.
The story emphasises friendship between cultures and shows the numerous achievements of the UAE in terms of infrastructure and lifestyle.
The shows were developed by Dubai firm Tashkeel, an independent organisation for artists and designers living and working in the UAE. The primary aim of the exhibition was to demonstrate how the UAE has harnessed its dreams of a better life and applied imaginative thinking to drive its 21st century agenda.
Diverse cultures
It shows the artists' perceptions of how the UAE has transformed itself from a rural society into today's thriving urbanised community where more than 200 diverse cultures live and work together.
"The exhibition also showcases the work of both established and young, emerging Emirati artists and demonstrates the dynamic future of the visual arts in the UAE," said Latifa Bint Maktoum, the founder of Tashkeel.
The UAE pavilion won the 2010 award from the US's National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA), for Excellence in Structural Engineering.
The Shanghai World Expo expected to receive 70 million visitors in total.
