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A nation shaped by deep traditions and visionary ambitions: ATELIER BRÜCKNER has designed the immersive, multisensory exhibition for the 2,013 squate metre United Arab Emirates Pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka.
The experience invites visitors into a world where cultural heritage and innovation are seamlessly interwoven. Under the theme ’Earth to Ether’, the exhibition celebrates the UAE’s explorers of space, catalysts of healthcare, and stewards of sustainability – showcasing a nation deeply connected to its heritage while boldly pioneering solutions for the future. Through natural and recycled materials, interactive installations, and thoughtfully designed sensory environments, the exhibition transforms tradition and innovation into an experiential narrative that deepens visitor connection with the future of collective progress.
At the heart of the pavilion and its exhibition design stands an icon of resilience and ambition: the date palm. A symbol of life in the region for millennia, it embodies tradition and responsible resource use. More than just a metaphor, the date palm is woven into the exhibition itself. Its wood and midribs, fronds, and fibres are used in structural columns, scenographic furniture, exhibition signage, and wayfinding – seamlessly integrating design with the natural environment. As visitors step inside, they encounter an expansive woven mat with edges finished using Curetex, a Japanese plant-based fibre development process that transforms agricultural date palm waste into sustainable yarn.
Crafted from organic materials, the mat is a reinterpretation of the traditional ‘Haseer’ Emirati mat, evoking communal gatherings where local stories are shared and traditions are passed down.
As experience designer, and part of the Earth to Ether Design Collective, ATELIER BRÜCKNER was responsible for master planning, scenographic design, wayfinding system, and media design for the exhibition, shop, and café areas.
A cinematic film installation ‘Woven Legacies’ serves as the emotional highlight and grand finale of the exhibition. A triptych of 3.5-meter LED screens showcases an artistic documentary. Poetic visual narratives celebrate the enduring influence of tradition on modern achievements. Through powerful and authentic imagery, the films illustrate the interwoven essence of life in contemporary United Arab Emirates, at the heart of which lies its people and their deep-rooted connection to their natural and urban environments.
The scenographic gesture extends into an overarching trilingual (Arabic, Japanese, English) experiential graphic and wayfinding system, where visual elements emerge organically from the woven mat and architectural palm inspired structures. The modular system draws from the Areesh tradition palm frond architecture, reinterpreted in a contemporary design form to create pavilion titling, wayfinding cues, and informational displays.
Digital media lies at the heart of the exhibition, transforming storytelling into a multisensory journey: Large LED screens present cinematic narratives. A kinetic solar panel installation mirrors the movement of the sun, reinforcing the themes of sustainable technology and harmony with nature. Interactive touchscreens invite visitors to explore advancements in genome research and precision healthcare. Audiovisual stations showcase pioneering Emiratis, Japanese, and UAE residents, sharing their stories of innovation and progress in their respective fields across the thematic pillars highlighted in the pavilion.
A traditional incense burner anchors the scent installation, evoking memory, honouring heritage, and celebrating the UAE’s enduring culture of hospitality.
The exhibition unfolds through several thematic zones, each offering a distinctive interplay of tradition and technology. Visitors enter through an oasis like setting, where they see, smell, and touch the date palm’s rich legacy. Celebrated as the ‘Mother of Trees’, the date palm has long provided food, shelter, and trade. Its presence is embedded throughout the pavilion experience, from the towering rachis columns to finely crafted interior elements – honouring its deep cultural significance while showcasing pioneering sustainable material innovation.
In the prologue zone, ‘Roots of a Nation’, visitors walk through a symbolic palm grove of 90 towering rachis columns rising up to 16-meter, priming visitors with historical and cultural context to learn the UAE’s story. Objects of cultural resonance, such as a Khanjar dagger, pearl diving tools, and a Dallah coffee pot reflect Emirati values of community, resilience, and hospitality. The lighting installation includes illuminated statements reflecting one of 7 UAE values at the base of each column – each corresponding to an object on display in the prologue.
In the theme zone ‘Catalysts of Healthcare’ a large wooden loom with a black and white woven traditional textile called Al Sadu, alongside a media layer, represents the connection between cultural heritage and cutting-edge advancements in healthcare research and development – including AI applications in healthcare solutions. Interactive touchscreens showcase latest pioneering efforts in the UAE in advancing personalized, precise medicine and groundbreaking genomics research. A roleplaying game allows players to act as doctors, diagnosing patients and selecting the best medical solutions.
In the theme zone ‘Stewards of Sustainability’ a kinetic solar panel installation visualises the movement of the sun. Interactive displays highlight projects and entities like Masdar City, the UAE’s model city for sustainable living. Visitors discover how AI cools cities, waste can be used to generate new energy, and nature-based innovation shapes the future. In an interactive game, children take on the role of city planners, designing their own city of the future.
In the theme zone ‘Explorers of Space’ a 7-meter-tall rocket sculpture, woven from palm fibers holding interactive digital screens, connects the UAE’s ancestral legacy of using stars as a navigational compass to its ambitions for and contributions to space exploration and research. A hands-on astronaut training game allows children to prepare for a space mission.
Throughout the exhibition, ‘Dreamers Who Do’ audiovisual stations feature Emirati scientists, engineers, and visionaries sharing their pioneering work and aspirations within their fields. Their stories make it clear: The UAE’s commitment to innovation is deeply rooted in its heritage, shaping the future for generations to come.
Beyond an exhibition, the UAE Pavilion at Expo 2025 is a living, breathing space, an invitation to reflect on the symbiosis between heritage and progress. ATELIER BRÜCKER’s scenographic vision transforms the pavilion into a dynamic platform for dialogue, where the past informs, if not co-creates and enables future, and where sustainable technology and nature-based innovation are not merely aspirations but an embedded reality.
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