Innovation at the World Expo 1851 - now
Press release Innovation at the World Expo
March 10 - In the context of the 34th World Expo opening in Milan this spring, Het Nieuwe Instituut addresses this phenomenon from different perspectives, between April 26 and August 23, in three exhibitions: What is the Netherlands, The Machine Garden and GLASS. The recurring question in the programme is: under what conditions is innovation achieved, and what role do designers play within that process?
Since its inception a variety of differing ambitions have come together at the immensely popular World Expo. What prevails over all differences, however, is a strong faith in progress. In the most spectacular manner, the World Expo's - which have brought us iconic buildings such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Atomium in Brussels -presented a vision of a future where technological innovation is able to bring the unattainable closer. The ability of designers to capture the unseen forms an important incentive for Het Nieuwe Instituut to develop a comprehensive programme on the theme of the World Expo.
At the World Expo the latest developments in the field of engineering and industrial production are always connected to the cultural and social progress of countries and communities. More or less explicitly, each pavilion wants to reflect its national identity, while also showing its moral, political or economic superiority. Both the World Expo as a whole and the individual country pavilions are the result of coalitions between states, the market and socio-cultural institutions. Their ambitions are compressed into an architectural statement (the pavilion), a narrative (the exhibition), and a presentation model (media and objects). The focus is always put on the crucial role of (technological) innovation for national economies and cultures; critical questions are hardly ever put forward. But can innovation today still be defined in national terms? And what role can the cultural domain claim within the increasingly market-driven systems of innovation?
Programme
What is the Netherlands. 14 entries to the World Expo
In the exhibition What is the Netherlands curator Stephan Petermann (AMO, part of OMA, the office of Rem Koolhaas) outlines a portrait of 14 Dutch contributions to the World Expo since 1910.
GLASS. Engine of progress
On the basis of the lens, the test tube and the fibreglass cable, the exhibition GLASS shows how the oldest man-made material has been the engine of progress for centuries.
Garden of Machines
Garden of Machines presents a world where machines cannot only be taught to live with humans, but also with plants and animals.
Rotterdams Innovation Market
The innovation market offers both large and small Rotterdam companies and institutions a platform to showcase their innovative product, process or concept to the public.
Mansholt's Letter
In 1972, Sicco Mansholt advocated a radical ecological change of course. His letter is a starting point for a series of public debates during the Milan Expo 2015, which is organised under the theme 'Feeding the Planet. Energy for Life'.
Read more: Innovation at the World Expo
Note to the editors
For more information please contact Femke Cuijpers, Marketing, Communication and Commerce department, via f.cuijpers@hetnieuweinstituut.nl or 06-51556993