“Traces” is the name of the multisensory installation by Canadian-based firm KANVA for the Canadian Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai
“Traces” and the Canadian Pavilion present Expo 2020 Dubai visitors with a poetic vision of an uncertain future. The installation also encourages reflection on our present and the growing threat to our planet caused by global warming.
KANVA expresses the concept of “Traces” through the rising murmur of a flock of birds swirling in the sky in a fossilized landscape that preserves “Traces” of their existence.
“Whether due to climate change, or oppressive human development, as landscapes fade away, so do the species that inhabit them,” explains Rami Bebawi, partner at KANVA and lead architect of the Traces project. “They are simply erased from memory, and our collective amnesia allows us to persist in their destruction. Traces reinterprets that cycle by fossilizing the species to ensure that it is not forgotten,” adds Olga Karpova, architect and senior project lead at KANVA.
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The Canadian Pavilion reminds us of animal life on Earth
The installation consists of eight cubes scattered in a seemingly random fashion, which contain the beauty of dynamic life in suspension like a precious jewel.
This work is accompanied by a selection of multimedia interactions developed with artist Ètienne Paquette and a large mural. The mural, which stretches along the curved wall of the Pavilion’s entrance hall, features a multiplicity of flocking birds, at different depths and distances, on a background that can be interpreted as sky, mountains, forests or water. After Expo 2020 Dubai, the eight cubes are destined to travel the world as ambassadors of hope.
“We couldn’t be prouder of this work, which has the capacity to be light, beautiful, and entertaining, yet also serve as a conduit of education, consciousness, awareness, and urgency,” concludes Rami Bebawi. “Hyper development has left so much damage behind, and the time has passed for simple acknowledgement. Responsibility must now turn to action.” [Txt: Arianna Callocchia/Ph: Canadian Pavilion, Expo 2020 Dubai, KANVA, Gerry O’Leary]
Discover also the Italian Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai
Read about the UK Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai
Discover also the Finnish Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai
Read about the Swiss Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai
See the UAE Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai
