Look: Stephen Hawking-inspired pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020
Design of UK Pavilion unveiled, inspired by Stephen Hawking's final projects
Dubai: The excitement for Dubai Expo 2020 is building up and today another country has unveiled the details of its upcoming pavilion. This time, the design is inspired by one of the projects of a famed scientist who was interested in finding extraterrestial life.
British officials have confirmed that the UK Pavilion for the world exposition in the UAE will be created by award-winning artist and designer ES Devlin OBE.
The design of the installation, to be called "The Poem Pavilion," is inspired by one of Stephen Hawking’s final projects and will highlight the British expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) and space.
UK Pavilion
Expo 2020 is a large-scale fair that provides a platform for countries around the world to showcase their innovation, expertise and products to a global audience. To highlight their presence at the mega event, participating countries will create their own pavilions at a 4.5-kilometre expo site in Dubai.
Just this month, Germany, which is setting aside Dh214.5 million in its Expo 2020 participation, unveiled the details of its pavilion.
The UK's pavilion designer, Es Devlin is widely known for producing large-scale performative sculptures that blend together technology and poetry. One of his notable woks is the interactive Fifth Lion sculpture installed at the Trafalgar Square in London.
For the British pavilion in Dubai, the artist will produce an illuminated sculptural message to which Expo visitors will be invited to contribute.
“The idea draws directly on one of Stephen Hawking’s final projects,” she said.
In 2015, Hawking and other researchers unveiled a global initiative called “Breakthrough Message,” which encourages everyone to come up with a message that they wish to send out to alien civilizations. It was part of the $100 million, 10-year project dedicated to the search for intelligent life in space.
One of ES Devlin's works at the Trafalgar Square in London. (Screenshot/Instagram)
“What if the UK Pavilion at Expo 2020 became a place where visitors from all over the world chose to take part in a collective global project that showcases British expertise in A.I. technologies and poetry while transcending national identities,” said Devlin.
The UK Pavilion will be the focal point of the British presence at the mega event which will be spearheaded by the Department for International Trade.
“Over six months, my international economic department will help connect with millions of Expo 2020 visitors who will make up the expected 25 million visits – that’s millions of buyers for our products, partners for our firms, tourists for our cities and students for our universities,” International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox MP said.
“The quality of design proposals we received for the UK Pavilion were testament to the UK’s world leading creative talent and I’m confident that Es Devlin OBE and the team will help us take advantage of this unique opportunity to showcase the very best of British to a truly global audience.”
The United Kingdom reveals the design of its pavilion at @expo2020dubai - highlighting the UK's expertise in artificial intelligence and the space sector. Award-winning British artist Es Devlin OBE is set to design the UK Pavilion. #Dubai pic.twitter.com/SRIKNCQXu9
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) September 27, 2018