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Magazine
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The Czech Republic Accepts its Pavilion for Expo 2005Tuesday, October 14 was a very important day in preparations for our participation in Expo 2005. Vladimír Darjanin, the General Commissioner of the Czech Republic, was presented with the symbolic key to the Czech Pavilion. At the present, it is only an empty space that our Japanese partners have built for us. Among those participating in the ceremonial presentation of this key were Taizo Watanabe, the Commissioner General of the Expo 2005 World Exposition, Bernard Testu, the president of the General Commissioners' Steering Committee and general commissioners and ambassadors from more than a hundred of the participating countries. Commissioner General Watanabe used this occasion to positively evaluate both preparations for the exposition and the efforts of all the participating countries. At the same time, he stressed the commitment of the Japanese government to cooperate at all levels on the unique project of organizing and hosting a world exposition, the theme of which is "Nature's Wisdom." At the present our pavilion is a standardized module measuring 36 meters long by 18 meters wide by 9 meters high. For the first time in the history of Czech and Czechoslovak participation at world expositions, we are not building our own pavilion. Given the specific tectonic conditions found in Japan, our Japanese friends decided to carry out this task themselves. All the pavilions must be able to withstand any potential earthquake, something local builders are very experienced at dealing with. How each of the 125 participating countries - including the Czech Republic - fills its pavilion is up to them. The Office of the General Commissioner for Czech Participation at the Expo 2005 World Exposition eagerly accepted this challenge. The Czech Republic has chosen the sub-theme "The Art of Life" for its pavilion and the concept for its interior is based on this critical idea. The team of designers, who are led by the firm Film Dekor - winner of the public tender for the pavilion's interior design and its implementation - is made up of leading young artists. This team of artists and their creative activities are being led by the architect Jiří Černý. Each member of the team has their own unique and vested place in the group. The theme of the Czech Pavilion's exhibition - "The Garden of Fantasy and Music" - was developed by Petr Nikl; this concept is being further elaborated in cooperation with other artists. Barbora Škorpilová is responsible for the architectural design of the pavilion's faćade and restaurant. Jan Hřebejk is the director of the creative team and the cinematographic section, where well-known animators such as Jiří Barta, Aurel Klimt, Pavel Koutský and Michaela Pavlátová are working. These artists and many others will place the seal of their artistic invention and originality on the Czech Pavilion. The name "Garden of Fantasy and Music" was born out of their cooperation and synergetic effects. The plans for the pavilion makes it clear that visitors really have something to look forward to. The Czech Pavilion will provide its visitors with 972 square meters of interactive experiences. What the exhibition will certainly not be is one based on specific exhibits that we are familiar with from museums using principles for exhibiting items developed in the nineteenth century. With this exhibition, the Czech Republic is stepping boldly into the twenty-first century. It will be about emotions and feelings awoken by the stylized setting of the pavilion and interactive tools that will allow visitors to express their own ideas about the concept the "Art of Life." At the ceremonial presentation, General Commissioner Vladimír Darjanin said: "The presentation of the symbolic key to the pavilion is one more important milestone in preparations for our participation in the Expo 2005 World Exposition in Aichi, Japan. Now nothing more stands in the way of the Czech creative team beginning the actual creation of the Czech exhibition in the exhibition grounds. I am convinced that the Czech 'Garden of Fantasy and Music' will be a wonderful attraction for visitors to Expo 2005." Petr Štemberk |
