The Brain Cell Concept

December 18, 2009

The main challenge related to the conception of the Belgian-European pavilion was to fully understand the context of the Expo 2010 and its true meaning for the China. This means we had to fully grasp Chinese culture, Shanghai complexity and their specificities. As a result, the concept of the pavilion was fed with Chinese input, so that the pavilion can be fully appreciated by Chinese.

It was obvious that the pavilion has to communicate the “meaning of Belgium”. The objective was to develop a design that would reflect directly Belgium and Europe’s identity while in the same time give a direct image of Belgium. Due to the overloard of visual information in Shanghai, another challenge was to provide Belgium with a complete and overwhelming image.

The image of the Brain Cell became rapidly an obvious choice. The Brain Cell is the dominant conceptual image for the pavilion. It evokes the artistic richness of Belgium, as well as all its scientific achievements that have been integrated in our daily lifestyles and contributed to our global intellectual patrimony. The Brain Cell also refers directly to the role of Belgium as one Europe’s main cross-points and gathering centres. Throughout our experiences with Chinese locals in Shanghai, it appeared that although not all the Chinese are fully aware of Belgium, the meaning of this Brain Cell was easily understood.

Centrality has always been a fundamental aspect of Belgium’s identity where the 3 great cultural traditions have met - the Latin on the south side, the Germanic on the east side, and the Anglo-Saxon on the north side. Nowadays Belgium has established itself as a political hub of Europe, accommodating such institutions as the European Parliament, the European commission and N.A.T.O. This node is clearly recognizable in the sky-images of highways that cross the country in all directions, and the cultural diversity of the Belgian inhabitants.

All these elements have been the key issues for Belgium’s success and transformed Belgium into a fertile, creative and resourceful country driven by a spirit of openness and tolerance.

Topics : The Brain Cell Concept, Belgiam Pavilion at Expo 2010, Belgium at Expo 2010 Shanghai, The 7th World Exposition 2010 Shanghai China. Source: shanghaiexpo2010.be