Digital suggestions of the Expo 2008

Posted on September 5, 2008
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Mónica Giménez López |DigitalWaterPavilion

International expositions bring together hundreds of pavilions from different countries, regions and organizations, which all try to show their best to the visitors of the fair. A vast selection of audiovisual projections has been converted into the main attraction of the Expo Zaragoza 2008, but only a few pavilions have decided to develop the idea further and use the technology as a source of connection between people and the information, making the visitors interact with the images.

We entered the Expo today to show you some of these innovative technologies that make it possible for the user to interact with them through images, sound and touch.

The pavilion of Acciona includes three expositions, but the Water Zone (Zona Agua) is what interested us the most. Acciona has created a virtual environment, that submerges the visitor into the imaginary world where every action has an immediate consequence on the projection.
The projection is 10 minutes long and includes 3 very different environments, that let you act, feel and experiment feelings. An enormous technical equipment (infrared beams all over the hall that detect your movement, 13 computers that control images and audio…) control the effects that impress the children as well as adults: a lake of waterthat leaves visitors’ trail, flowers and insects that move and change shapes when you walk on them, big rocks that change their colour and velocity when you touch them…

On the other hand, the pavilion of Navarra uses the images of people for interaction: when people on screen detect movement, they start to speak and they share their story about the social and environmental situation of the planet.
It sounds very simple, but people still enter the pavilion and wait for the projection to start, even if the pavilion’s crew is trying to explain how it works. Many visitors are surprised when, all of a sudden, the projection starts to move and speak to them.

The Pavilion of Portugal wants the visitors to interact with the screen and “catch” the words they think important for the environment, a thing we have already talked about in this blog. At the end, there is a screen, showing the statistics of the most chosen words of the day.

The Pavilion of Galicia knew how to create a place of digital art with its screen, made of small water containers from fountains, rivers and beaches of the region. They take different shapes and colours, welcoming the visitors with images of splendid landscapes. The visitors, seated in comfortable chairs, listening to relaxing music, can stay watching the projection for hours.

The pavilion of the Sub-Saharan Africa has one of the most attractive exteriors, during the day as well as during the night, since the façade varies depending on its illumination. That is why it is talked about as a “live” façade that reacts with the surrounding. The exterior is made of small reflecting metal plates, which during the day produce movement of water or desert and during the night change shape and colour into images of wild African savannah. To get this effect, a grayscale video is translated to fluorescent lights of the façade. The intensity of light defines the lighter or darker tones of the image. It’s an authentic wonder for the spectator. Ferrán Casanovas, the pavilion’s coordinator, tells us with lots of humour about the fear they had before the Expo: that people would want to take the metal plates home as a souvenir.

At last, the Digital Water Pavilion, as one of the entrances of the Expo, offers the by-passers several choices to interact with its water screens.

We leave you with our suggestions for the most innovative digital interactions of the fair, which will certainly leave you speechless. In case you haven’t noticed yet, the future is already here.

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