Every day, more and more of us take a sustainable path towards a future where we all live in balance with our only home: Planet Earth. As we join forces, small actions grow into positive global movements that will help communities protect and preserve the world around us.
Architecture of Terra
The Sustainability Pavilion, designed by UK-based Grimshaw Architects – is meant to meet the highest available accreditation for sustainable architecture – LEED Platinum certification.
Exterior view of Terra - The Sustainability PavilionExpo 2020 Dubai
A model of harmonious living Terra is a super-sized marvel of forward-thinking design.
The pavilion’s technology generates enough energy in a year to power a Nissan Leaf to drive halfway to Mars, while another system captures moisture from the air you breathe and turns it into drinkable water.
Enter and take a fantastical journey through the wonders of nature, humanity’s challenges and the promise of our shared future.
Equinox by artist Matt CollishawExpo 2020 Dubai
Equinox - The heart of Terra
Equinox, an animated sculpture by famed British artist Mat Collishaw, and commissioned by Expo 2020 Dubai, is unveiled at Terra – The Sustainability Pavilion.
It provides a remarkable showcase for the 3D artwork that utilizes zoetrope technology, an early form of animation, to create an enthralling optical illusion.
Equinox by artist Matt CollishawExpo 2020 Dubai
The centrepiece is a huge lotus flower, featuring a circle of insects, spinning on its vertical axis.
Equinox by artist Matt CollishawExpo 2020 Dubai
Its petals act as ‘shutters’ – animating the insects within as they appear to fly, eat and pollinate in perfect harmony.
Equinox by artist Matt CollishawExpo 2020 Dubai
The petals of the flower act as a sacred chalice preserving insect ecology, with their enhanced scale underscoring the cataclysm that would follow their decline.
Takween
Zeinab Alhashemi’s work explores the hidden connections and geometry found in nature as a universal language.
Takween examines how the responsibility of humans and our planet are interdependent, with the two halves of the piece merging together to become one – what appears to be separate are in fact parts of the same, suggesting that man and nature thrive together. The sculpture moves over the time of day joining and separating man and nature.
Hugs
Among the UAE's first generation of contemporary artists, Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim hails from Khorfakkan, a coastal city in the UAE surrounded by rocky mountains, and his deep connection with the environment is evident in his work.
Hugs is an interactive installation forming reflective walk-through space where visitors are asked to examine how their values impact their decisions, especially when it comes to big questions such as the environment. Do we remember what is important? Or do we push aside our values for the sake of convenience and comfort?
Directions by Mohammed KazemExpo 2020 Dubai
Directions
Mohammed Kazem combines technological and traditional methodologies in an ongoing exploration of his environment, whether social, political or natural.
His first piece for the Sustainability Pavilion, Directions (Expo 2020), represents the geographic coordinates of worldwide visitors to the Expo site.
Kazem’s work inspires them to think about and create innovative solutions for a more sustainable future.
Measurements
Kazem’s second piece, Measuring, challenges common architectural norms of understanding a space. His perception of the space, influenced by both memory and mood, determine its dimensions, satirising the presumed accuracy of any spatial relationship.
The work invites viewers to reflect on the shifting nature of something as rational as ‘measurement,’ making us aware of both of our place in our environment, and how we value it.
