Olympics-linked artist to design UK’s Expo 2020 pavilion
British artist Es Devlin calls message behind Expo ‘the most important’ in the world
British artist Es Devlin will design the UK pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, following her work in the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Devlin’s award-winning work has also seen her being associated with the likes of Beyoncé, Kanye West — designing the artists’ show stages — and Louis Vuitton.
The pavilion is set to highlight the UK’s expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) and the space sector. “My practice has developed quite dramatically over the years,” Devlin told Gulf News in a phone interview. “Already, this evolution to interactive from performative has been happening. There’s been a breadth to my practice.”
The message behind Expo 2020, of connecting minds and creating the future, might
be “the most important message” in the world at the moment, she added. For the UK pavilion, Devlin has said she will base her design on an illuminated sculptural message to which each of the event’s visitors will be invited to contribute.
‘Collective global project’
Explaining her inspiration for the project and what she hopes it will achieve, Devlin said: “The idea draws directly on one of Stephen Hawking’s final projects, ‘Breakthrough Message’, a global competition that Hawking and his colleagues conceived in 2015, inviting people to consider what message we would communicate to express ourselves as a planet, should we one day encounter other advanced civilisations in space.
“What if the UK pavilion at Expo 2020 became a place where visitors from the world over chose to take part in a
collective global project showcasing British expertise in AI technologies and poetry while transcending national identities?”
Devlin and Avantgarde will join forces with Manchesterbased structural engineers Atelier One and sustainability experts Atelier Ten.
The UK’s International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said: “Over six months, my international economic department will help connect with millions of Expo 2020 visitors who will make up the expected 25 million visits — that’s millions of buyers for our products, partners for our firms, tourists for our cities and students for our universities.”
Najeeb Mohammed Al Ali, executive director for the Dubai Expo 2020 Bureau, said: “The UK pavilion will be an intriguing platform for people to learn, have fun and work together.”