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Shanghai Expo: UAE golden sand dune is the most stylish pavilion

Wednesday, 28 July 2010 14:17

Shanghai - Shanghai s Lifestyle magazine, published in English and Chinese, has rated the UAE Pavilion at EXPO 2010 as number one among a selection of the top ten pavilions at EXPO 2010.

Featuring the golden sand dune structure of the UAE Pavilion on its cover, and with a detailed and well illustrated article on their selection of The Ten Must Sees from Shanghai Expo 2010 , it describes the UAE Pavilion as the "most stylish" of the entire Expo.

Second in line is the Spanish Pavilion, followed by France, Poland, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, China and the UK. Commenting on this assessment of what the United Arab Emirates has achieved at EXPO 2010, the pavilion s Commissioner General, Salem Al Ameri stated that he was very pleased with the media recognition and especially with visitor responses to the UAE pavilion itself. "It tells our story in an engaging way," he commented. "We look forward to welcoming many more people to see it for themselves".

Expecting its one millionth visitor in early August, the UAE pavilion has already won an award in the United States as the best mid-size building constructed in 2009-2010. Whilst that award, granted by the Illinois Society of Structural Engineers, brought international recognition for the building itself, and was the first ever made by the society to any World EXPO, the latest acclaim, from one of Shanghai s leading dual language magazines, confirms the high levels of appreciation for the building by both Chinese and international visitors.

This is a trend that has been building since the opening of EXPO in May. The unique dune-shaped building commands attention from every angle and there have been long queues to enter the UAE exhibition since the opening day. In fact queuing times have been reported, on occasions, to reach five hours. This is a situation that the UAE Expo team has addressed by ensuring high levels of comfort for those waiting to enter, as well as entertainment in the form of video presentations and live performances. Remarkably, some Shanghai residents who have already queued for several hours and enjoyed the experience within, have returned on more than one occasion to re-visit the exhibition "This is something that we find quite remarkable", a spokesman for the pavilion commented, "the queues are very long and people are so good natured about waiting. But to do it twice or even three times really emphasises how much they enjoy their visit."

Once inside the pavilion visitors are presented with three main shows, followed by an information zone. In the first six-minute film, entitled In the Blink of an Eye they are brought up to date with the UAE s incredible tale of rapid urban development. This is presented through the eyes of a father who takes his son into the desert to remind him of his past. In the second show they meet Emirati people and hear about their daily lives.

In so doing they are reminded that development is about improving people s lives and not just about buildings. This social experience is created by unique pixel bending technology that intrigues and astounds visitors. The third show is called Dream Journey and is a fast moving and dramatic high tech, large screen extravaganza in which a young Emirati boy takes a young Chinese girl on a fantasy ride over, through and under the present day UAE.

Created through blending real imagery with computer graphic imagery created by Disney s Hong Kong studios and employing real effects through Pepper s Ghost projection, the film makes a strong impact on audiences and showcases some of the UAE s most iconic projects all part of its own Must See list. The Canadian press recently compared this production to films made by the Hollywood blockbuster director, Stephen Spielberg. The UAE will be celebrating its presence at EXPO 2010 on 27 September when a series of special events will be held at the pavilion and within the Expo grounds. Preparations for this are underway and include an exhibition by Emirati artists, organised by Tashkeel, on the subject of Better City Better Life".

(WAM)

Global Arab Network

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