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Magazine
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A History of World Expositions - Part IIIThe idea of inviting the countries of the world to the Belgian kingdom's capital to compete against each other without weapons came just two years after the most monstrous hetacomb in the history of humanity. This post-war euphoria however soon passed away as the world became irrevocably polarized. The beginnings of the Cold War almost destroyed the plans for a world exposition and the event had to be postponed from 1955 to 1958. The invitations sent out by the Belgian government in 1954 emphasized the role of individuals in the world and everything was to be first and foremost looked at in human scales. The main theme of the Exposition Universelle et Internationale de Bruxelles (unofficially Expo '58) was "A World View - A New Humanism." Almost fifty countries and various international organizations (including the United Nations, the Vatican, the Order of Malta, the International Red Cross, the European Coal and Steel Community, the Council of Europe and the European Payments Union) came together in one of the centers of European culture from which would come the impulse for European integration (the European Economic Community and Euratom). The exposition grounds spread north from the center in the Heysel district along both sides of the Boulevard du Centenaire. The ground plan was based on the exposition grounds built in 1935, which had served as a trade fair site. The grounds were expanded by about a fifth to a total of 200 hectares running to the southeast, which brought it right up to the Royal Park. The organizers built a large-capacity parking lot near the exposition grounds. Rich and influential visitors took advantage of a newly built heliport next to the exposition complex and flew in directly from the airport. Visitors moved about the exposition grounds either by bus or in motorized rickshaws. The most popular means of transportation was however the cable car with its cars floating over the exposition grounds' avenues. An imposing entrance to the exposition grounds was provided by the newly reconstructed Grand Palais (Palais du Centenaire), which had been built to mark a century of Belgian independence in 1935. The building was capped by a blue parabola featuring stars and the dove of peace. From here, visitors could set out on a 25-kilometer long walk. For most, their first stop was the Atomium. The Atomium became the symbol of the exposition and evidence of technology's possibilities. It made famous its designer and the exposition's chief engineer André Waterkeyn and today remains one of the signature features of Brussels. This project was inspired by the crystalline structure of iron and is the child of a time that desired to use the energy hidden in the atom for the benefit of humanity and not its destruction. A cube with spheres at the eight corners and one in the center (all joined by tubes with walkways inside) was originally to have rested only on the lowermost sphere, but this idea was abandoned and the three lowermost spheres were buttressed. This glowing silver giant had a number of firsts including the longest escalator in Europe and the fastest elevator in the world, which reached a height of 102 meters in only a few seconds. Directly behind the main entrance, in the International Hall of Fine Arts a large-scale project awaited visitors. The project's first half, Fifty Years of Modern Art ran from April 17 to July 21. A representative selection of paintings and sculptures outlined the development and directions of the fine arts from the turn of the century: Fauvism, Cubism, Futurism, Orphism, Expressionism, Constructivism, Dadaism, Surrealism, naive art and even Socialist Realism. This overview was followed by the exposition "Man and Art," comparing the development of art in various cultures. This exposition ran from August 8 through the close of Expo '58 on October 19. In contrast, the popularization of technological successes in the International Hall of Science did not enjoy its expected success. Another greatly admired pavilion with an international background was the Génie Civil or Civil Engineering Pavilion whose daring construction was the work of the architect J. van Doorselaer, the engineer A. Paduart and the sculptor Jacques Moeschal. The sight of a long, elegant arrow made of cast, reinforced concrete from which hung a walkway took people's breath away. In the overall ranking of pavilions, this pavilion came in second (the renowned Czechoslovak Pavilion came in first, the British Pavilion third). Other national pavilions worthy of note included that of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany). Its architects Egon Eiermann and Sep Ruf consciously drew upon the pre-war Bauhaus style. In its Instrumentarium exposition, Carl Orff brought together all kinds of sound producing instruments. The Dutch exposition "Man and the Sea" harmonized with the main theme. Here water surfaces reflected the centuries of history of this small but intrepid coastal nation. Howard Cullman, the General Commission of the United States emphasized the goal of impressing the thoughtful visitor with a high degree of objectivity. He thus provided the impetus for the exposition "The Unfinished Task, which was to illustrate current issues in American society. Soon after it was opened critical voices began to be heard, particularly from within his own ranks. The Eisenhower Administration was surprised by the increasing criticism and from May 9 to July 31, the exposition was closed for "renovation." Examples of racial segregation, photographs of ghettos, and arid landscapes were replaced by a presentation of public health, education and social services. The round United States Pavilion itself with its indoor pool by Edward Stone and in particular its placement on the site led the jury to rank it in fifth place among all the pavilions. In the confrontation of superpowers, the Soviet Union staked itself to the simple principle of apotheosis. The main trump card in the hand of the Soviet ideologists was the fresh success of their space program. Models of the satellites Sputnik 1 and 2 (the placing in orbit around the Earth of the first artificial satellite on October 4, 1957 was a great scientific triumph) served as evidence of the superiority of the Soviet political system. A larger-than-life statue of Lenin and a "lyrically" colored panorama of Moscow towered above the models of the satellites. The Philips Pavilion was the most popular of the commercial pavilions. The company did not hesitate in employing three outstanding artists: Le Corbusier, Iannise Xenakise and Edgar Varése. They created an eccentric tent whose heart was an electronic poem, a gripping audiovisual program, a sort of cry from humanity that left a strong impression in the souls of those who fell under its spell. With its experimentation Expo '58 in Brussels pushed the boundaries of construction to the very limits and foretold the massive use of reinforced concrete, which further freed up the hands of innovative architects. A remarkable total of 41,452,412 visitors saw the exposition. Concurrent with the exposition, the 1958 World Festival also brought Brussels to life. Jaroslav Halada |
