External and Onionlab create an immersive experience for the Spanish Pavilion at Expo Dubai 2020

Barcelona companies, External Reference y Onions have designed an exhibition space for the Spanish Pavilion in the Expo Dubai 2020, where art and technology mix, to create a participatory experience, playful and educational.

Under the motto 'Intelligence for life’, the joint venture formed by the architecture studio External Reference y Onions, multidisciplinary studio that directs and produces audiovisual installations and international exhibitions, both based in Barcelona, has carried out the exhibition design of the Spanish Pavilion for the Expo Dubai 2020, organized and coordinated by Acción Cultural Española (Ac/e), visitable until 21 March 2022 in dubai.

A surprising mix of design, art and technology allows interactivity to be the center of the Pavilion. “We have used a series of cutting-edge technologies to create an immersive exhibition tour and present Spanish public and private projects aimed at sustainable development,” he explains. Aleix Fernandez, founder of Onionlab.

The project is dedicated to sustainability and collective intelligence. “Thanks to the knowledge learned and shared, “It is possible to act as collective intelligence and preserve the planet by adopting more sustainable life and business habits,” he summarizes. Carmelo Zappulla, director and founder of External Reference.

The Spanish Pavilion, whose architecture has been designed by the Amman Cánovas Maruri studio (Extreme Temperatures), It is located in the Sustainability Exposition district and draws attention to its series of prominent truncated cones that rise above the landscape and evoke the feeling of a traditional plaza.

The building is built with reusable materials, like wood, iron and fabric, and its conical shape helps increase air flow, modulating the temperature of public space and providing an eco-friendly way for visitors to stay cool. Two of the cones consist of two floors that form the pavilion, and the underground location of its exhibition area also contributes to reducing temperatures naturally.

Both the pavilion and the exhibition have been built following the principles of the circular economy. All material can be recycled, reused in its entirety or disassembled for use elsewhere.

The exhibition route begins at the ground floor level, which consists of a succession of open squares where a series of installations take place. The latter synthesize some of the most relevant contributions of Spanish culture to the world and highlight the relationship with Arab culture..

Visitors will be offered a tour of some of the cultural landmarks, from the Hispano-Arab legacy of chess and the Spanish overseas expeditions, to the importance of Spanish as a global language, passing through the heritage of Arab architecture in Spain and the pioneering work of the Nobel Prize-winning neurologist Ramón y Cajal.

While the upper floor of the exhibition space has a more analog and mechanical approach, the lower one is the triumph of cutting-edge technologies.

Forest of Intelligence

On the upper floor there is the Forest of Intelligence, a 3D printed artificial forest that immerses visitors in an extraordinary world where digital and physical dimensions produce unique experiences.

The trees are constructed from a sustainable bioplastic polymer made from corn dextrose (sugar), mixed with pure.tech, a natural mineral compound that is capable of capturing and mineralizing some of the main greenhouse gases and pollutants in our planet's atmosphere, including CO2 and nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (COV).

This technologically manufactured landscape is capable of producing oxygen and food through photosynthesis thanks to a series of photobioreactors containing microalgae, like spirulina and chlorella, and which have been designed for the Pavilion.

These microalgae increase oxygen levels, reduce global warming and can prevent future consequences of climate change, in addition to producing more oxygen than other plants and are used for the production of biofuels and foods rich in protein.

The Forest is a metaphorical space that uses interactive resources to interact with visitors and thus make them consider the impact that their own actions have on society as a whole and, therefore, in the environment and especially in the unique biodiversity that lives in Spain.

In it Forest of Intelligence projects are shown, both public and private, who are working for sustainable development, highlighting the abundance of initiatives undertaken by Spain to preserve and protect its forests, oceans and seas.

Solutions for crop control with software and alternative energy projects are also presented., like the desalination plant of the Mides project (Aqualia), solar thermal technology or Iberdrola's green hydrogen plant in Puertollano, which is currently the largest in Europe. Experts predict green hydrogen as one of the energies of the future.

Balance Tree

In the final section of the Forest, is found Balance Tree: the interactive heart of both the Pavilion and the exhibition space. It is in the shape of a tree that will project over the entire back wall, collecting all the interactions and knowledge of visitors within the forest.

Answering questions about your spending habits, either through the app or the 30 interactive screens that are installed, Visitors will see how the tree physically reacts positively or negatively to their responses, releasing a blue or red drop depending on your answers.

The total of all the drops will determine if it becomes green and leafy or if it loses its foliage and dries up.. In this way, A very visual result derived from the visitor's sustainability habits is shown and allows them to discover more about Spain and its initiatives.

The Spanish Pavilion functions as a shared intelligence with the Balance Tree, the physical representation of this.

AV technology

Various technologies will be available throughout the two floors., including an interactive floor and models with 3D projection mapping; infographics; animated graphics; audiovisual pieces on large format screens; interactive screens and installations; holograms; installations with LED strips; backlit murals; and many other information technologies, the visitor will be immersed in the experience at all times.

This is supported by an interactive and interdisciplinary downloadable mobile application designed by External Reference and Onionlab, and produced by The Others, to transform the visitor experience far beyond the Spanish Pavilion itself.

With an augmented reality section, The application will adapt to the separate rooms of the exhibition allowing many components that would otherwise be impossible, For example, the discovery of protected Spanish animals such as the lynx and the Iberian wolf, the brown bear or the Mediterranean turtle that will appear in the Pavilion itself.

The exhibition route ends with an exit ramp that highlights the virtues of the quality of life in Spain, allowing the visitor to further immerse themselves in their culture with the support of nine vertical video screens showing a representation of Spanish citizens of all ages, sexes and racial diversities.

Working at the intersection of art, design and technology, and following the motto 'Intelligence for life', External Reference and Onionlab have sought to highlight the richness of the Spanish legacy, science, biodiversity and, in particular, innovative business practices and initiatives.

The Spanish Pavilion embodies the general themes of the Expo 2020 with a focus on connecting minds, build the future, the circular economy and the sustainability of the planet. It is a showcase that highlights the relevance of Spain in all these areas, as well as a must-see destination for Expo visitors 2020.

In the creation of the exhibition space of the Spanish Pavilions, External Reference and Onionlab have created a participatory experience, Unforgettable fun and educational that allows a greater knowledge of Spain and its inhabitants. The coherent description of Spain's innovative sustainability practices reminds the visitor of the importance of meeting current needs without compromising the needs of future generations who will follow us.

Menasa Program

External Reference and Onionlab have also collaborated on an additional project at Expo Dubai 2020: the Menasa installation – Crafts & Design Emirati Platform, a new program that features more than 40 local and international designers and artists.

Carmelo Zappulla, founder and director of External Reference has teamed up with local UAE haute couture designer, Rami Al Ali to create a showcase of 13 meters that fuses 3D printing with local crafts.

Onionlab has overseen the creation of more than 40 audiovisual pieces that define the audiovisual branding of the space and portray, through different small works, the eight collaborations between local and international artisans and designers that result in the exclusive products displayed and for sale in the store.

In addition, He has also created a documentary and 25 short films that present the rest of the designers who present pieces at Menasa.