The visit to Shanghai World Expo 2010
Saudi Arabia Pavilion
A Remarkable experience at the Shanghai World Expo left me thinking…
“Will there ever be anymore surprises in my life where I will be able to witness another spectacular event as such?”
It was the gathering of the world culture. A 2 Way ticket to China to see the world!
Having started my experience at approximately 5pm, I couldn’t take my eyes off the magnificant architecture excellencies. Having walked 5 hours non-stop but still not able to cover half the map. Nonetheless, why was there such excitement and enthusiasm in me? and what is there to see?
Other than just buildings, country flags, technology, and people…
First of all I learnt that China is advancing so much faster than many other developing country. They are far more mature than other countries in term of their political, economical and environmental. In keeping with Expo 2010 Shanghai China’s theme, “Better City-Better Life,” they chose to power the visitor shuttles at this year’s world’s fair with fuel cell technology.
Photo Reference : http://www.permapure.com/news/expo-2010-vehicles-equipped-with-fuel-cell-humidifiers-from-perma-pure/
The gathering of architectures from around the world led to a design competition between countries to showcase their best architecture designs. Here are some photos,
Australia Pavilion
Australia Pavilion presents the fun journey on urban development solutions. The pavilion showcase its understanding of the theme “Better City, Better Life” by keeping a balance between urban construction and the natural environment.
The Pavilion takes visitors on a journey of Australia’s natural beauty and rich culture in an exploration of one of the most livable countries in the world. Australia’s innovative ideas on urban planning, renewable energy development, transport and infrastructure will be presented under the theme “Mastering the challenges: Australia’s smart solutions for our urban future.”
China Pavilion
Architect: Jingtang He
This pavilion practices a range of green design, including features such as a temperature buffer zone and natural ventilation for the interior, and the inverted shape of the pavilion acts as shading for entire building as well as the courtyard below. The roof of the structure includes eco-friendly landscaping and harvests rainwater.
Painted the same red as the Forbidden City, the Oriental Crown consists of four pillars with 6 floors expanding out and up. The 30 meter high roof is constructed from 56 wooden brackets, which represent the 56 minority ethnic groups of China.
Israel Pavilion
Under the slogan “Innovation for Better Life”, Israel highlights the traditional Jewish culture. This is the first time that Israel is building a national pavilion at a World Expo. The design of its pavilion resembles two clasped hands, symbolizing Israeli innovation and technology. The impressive design for the Israeli pavilion has been nicknamed the “Sea Shell” (in Chinese “Hai Bei Ke”) which goes along with the mascot of the Shanghai Expo, Haibao, and Shanghai as a coastal city. (Source : Israel Ministry of Foreign Affaris)
Japan Pavilion
Museum of Shanghai World Expo in Japan is among the country’s largest exhibition hall, one of Japan’s participation is also an unprecedented scale in the history of the Expo Hall. Hall is about 24 meters high, the external was silver white, with solar power devices using ultra-light “membrane structure” package, forming a large semi-circular dome, like a “Robotech.”This is a “breathing Pavilion”, “groove” and the “tentacles” allegorical life on the “mouth, ears, nostrils,” and “fingers.” Large semi-circular dome was purple, like a huge cocoon, hence the name “Purple silkworm island.”
South Korea Pavilion View 1
South Korea Pavilion View 2
Hall facade with three-dimensional pixel Korean and colorful decorative painting, with “communication and integration” as the element, showing South Korean style. Layer is reduced in proportion to Seoul, South Korea, through the images show “My City”; the second floor show “My Life”, with a high-tech interpretation of cultural, technological, human and natural; “My Dream” exhibition display technologies of the future and preview the 2012 Yeosu World Expo beautiful picture.
Expo Axis Structure
The Expo Axis is one of the world’s largest membrane roof, which spans the entrance and boulevard building of the World Exposition 2010 in Shanghai.
The combination of the membrane structure, which has a surface of 65,000 m2 in total with a span of 100 m, and the six steelglass funnels of 45 m height, formed of a freeform double-curved framework, constitutes the landmark of the Expo Shanghai 2010.(Source : Wikipedia)
Spain Pavilion
Architects: Miralles Tagliabue EMBT
The Spanish Pavilion created an amorphous form out of multiple panels, emphasizing a traditional Spanish craft in a new, modern way.
Croatia Pavilion
The Croatia Pavilion presenst its historical and cultural heritage, its dynamic contemporary urban life and its important potentialities for the future development.There are white flags on the facade of the pavilion, which is painted red, and these two colours give an impression of the red and white fields of the chequy, the symbol of the Republic of Croatia which is presented on its emblem.
Turkey Pavilion
The Turkey Pavilion under the theme “The Cradle of Civilization” looks like an amazing red and beige box with an animal sculpture, inviting visitors to explore a maze of dreams.The main inspiration for the exterior of the pavilion was derived from settlements called “Catalhoyuk”, the center of advanced culture in the Neolithic period.
Estonia Pavilion
Under the theme “Save City”, the pavilion features a colorful exterior which displays the unique ideas and great wisdom of Estonian people to protect their environment. Inside the pavilion, future, travel destinations, business opportunities and culture during the development of Estonian cities are showcased with “piggy banks,” “digital notebooks” and interactive touch screens.
Visitors are given a chance to propose their own solutions to improve the environment. They can submit their solutions via SMS text message or with a paper ballot that can be left in huge piggy banks in the Estonia Pavilion.
Finnish Pavilion
The Finnish pavilion at Shanghai World Expo 2010 is called “Kirnu” (“Giant’s Kettle”). It’s also supposed to be a microcosm of a Finnish city.
For more informations, look up Shanghai World Expo 2010 at http://en.expo2010.cn/
and there should be loads of photos on flickrs on this event too!!
Back to 1939: Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz
June 9, 2009 · Filed under Critic and Comments, Design Discussion, Media and Advertisements · Tagged brick, dorothy, dream, fairy tale, road, story, wicked, wicked wizard, wizard of oz, wonderful world, yellow
This is a post for those still supporting good movies. Because good things are never too old! The Wizard of Oz follows a schoolgirl Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) who lives on a Kansas farm with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, but dreams of a better place “somewhere over the rainbow.”
The innocent thinking of being in a wonderful world is the dream of every single person on Earth. How we wish our mind can go back to such a peaceful state without needing to worry about your work, exams and relationships.
Remember her? Dorothy Gale from wizard of Oz played by Judy Garland.
Somewhere, over the rainbow, way up high, There’s a land that I heard of once in a lullaby. Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true….
Listen to the song here.
The characters and cast of the movie:
Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale
Ray Bolger as Hunk/The Scarecrow
Jack Haley as Hickory/Tin Man
Bert Lahr as Zeke/Cowardly Lion
Billie Burke as Glinda the Good Witch of the North
Margaret Hamilton as Miss Almira Gulch/Wicked Witch of the West
Frank Morgan as Professor Marvel/The Doorman/The Cabby/The Guard/The Wizard of Oz
Charles Grapewin as Uncle Henry
Clara Blandick as Auntie Em
Terry the Dog as Toto
Productions and Interesting happenings!
The following are adapted from Wikipedia,
Casting The Wizard of Oz was problematic, with actors shifting roles repeatedly at the beginning of filming. Ray Bolger was originally cast as the Tin Man, and Buddy Ebsen was to play the Scarecrow switched roles because Bolger, unhappy with being assigned the role of the Tin Man. He convinced producer Mervyn LeRoy to recast him in the role of the Scarecrow. Ebsen did not object to the change; he recorded all of his songs, went through all the rehearsals as the Tin Man, and started filming with the rest of the cast. However, nine days after filming began, Ebsen suffered a reaction to the aluminum powder makeup he wore as the Tin Man; the powder had coated his lungs from his breathing it in as it was applied daily. By that point in critical condition, Ebsen had to be hospitalized and left the project. MGM did not publicize the reasons for Ebsen’s departure until decades later in a documentary about the movie, and even his replacement, Jack Haley, did not initially know the reason.
The makeup used for Jack Haley was quietly changed to an aluminum paste makeup; although it did not have the same dire effect on Haley, he did at one point suffer from an unpleasant reaction to it.
In another related case,
Filming also proved to be dangerous at times. Margaret Hamilton was severely burned in the Munchkinland scene when she was to disappear in a puff of fiery smoke. When she returned from the hospital, Hamilton refused to do the scene where she flies on a broomstick billowing smoke, so the directors chose to have a stand-in, Betty Danko, perform the scene instead. Danko was also severely injured doing the scene after a malfunction occurred during filming.
Other than that,
One of the songs played in the movie was almost permanently deleted was “Over the Rainbow”. MGM had felt that it made the Kansas sequence too long, as well as being too far over the heads of the children for whom it was intended. The studio also thought that it was degrading for Judy Garland to sing in a barnyard. Producer Mervyn LeRoy, uncredited associate producer Arthur Freed, and director Victor Fleming fought for its inclusion, and eventually won. The song went on to win the Academy Award for Best Song of the Year. In 2004, the song was ranked #1 by the American Film Institute on the 100 Greatest Songs in American Films list.
Now to the production,
Credits have to be given to their effort to create the wonderful piece of work. It was considered one of the most advanced film techniques and photo shooting at that time. All of the Oz sequences were filmed in three-strip Technicolor. The opening and closing credits, as well as the Kansas sequences, were both filmed in black and white and colored in a sepia tone. Publicity for the film mentioned the Technicolor but not the black-and-white or sepia, thus making it sound as if the entire film had been made in color.
Sometimes color and sepia would be juxtaposed in the film within seconds of each other. At one point, Dorothy sees her Aunt Em on the Wicked Witch of the West’s crystal ball; she is then replaced by a vision of the Witch. Aunt Em appears only in sepia-toned black-and-white, while the Witch appears in the crystal ball in full Technicolor.
Here is a short clip of the movie.
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