the birth of czech and its fruits of civilization

“Welcome to the magical city of the Czech pavilion. Every block conceals an imaginative exhibit, just as Czech cities shelter their inhabitants and the fruits of their creative abilities.”

Theme: Fruits of Civilization

There are as many as twenty “blocks” interpreting the theme. i will highlight a few here.

The pavilion uses rubber puck, the main export item (also signifies the national sport, ice hockey), for its facade.

Czech’s interpretation of Journey to the West, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of the Chinese literature.

Metropolia by Jakub Nepras. Enter the city of the future, full of breathtaking energy and streams of people, along with their communication and thoughts. It is here that the spiritual and material wealth of the many generations living here is created and preserved.

Useful Beauty by David Solnicky and Liv Ducci Lab. These installations on the ceiling gave the viewers a different perspective of everyday objects. Every day, the beautiful, simple, ingenious and elegant objects around us bring us joy. The artistic and industrial traditions of the Czech Republic are the source of the exceptional quality of Czech design.

Czech Pearls by Pavel A. Stehlik, Jiri Cerney, Jan Malir and a collective of authors. i can stare at these kaleidoscope images for long time, they were so beautiful and addictive to look at. This kaleidoscope offers an unconventional look at twenty-five “pearls” of Czech science and culture, some of them chosen for Expo 2010 by the Czech people themselves in nation-wide voting.

Lastly, my favourite installation in the pavilion – Czech Deco by Maxim Velcovsky and Jakub Berdych. This scene, formed by porcelain figures, animals and tea sets, is a survey of the aesthetic influences that have left their mark on the tradition of Czech porcelain production. The inspiration for the famous Czech “cibulák” was an old pattern taken from China.

Update: Our lunch at Czechia restaurant – Potato soup and grilled duck with rice-taste-alike-pudding.

Rating: Check it out!

Shanghai Expo 2010.

Note: Copy in italic grey were taken from the exhibition booklet.