The temporary exhibition of the Lodz Voivodeship at the World Exhibition EXPO 2020 in Dubai is another exhibition in the Polish Pavilion after Xylopoils. Agnieszka Nowacka and Martyna Piech from the Lodz University of Technology were responsible for the project.
Lodz province at EXPO
In the competition for the concept of the temporary exhibition organized by the Technical University of Lodz in cooperation with the Office of the Marshal of the Lodz Voivodeship, Agnieszka Now acka and Martyna Piech took first place. As part of the winning, the students took over the author's supervision of the execution of the exhibition in Poland and provided substantive support to the contractor of the exhibition at EXPO 2020 in Dubai. The presentation of the exhibition took place from November 6 to 10 this year, on the second floor of temporary exhibitions in the Polish Pavilion.
The Polish Pavilion by the WXCA studio
© Martyna Piech and Agnieszka Nowacka
The exhibition was created as part of the project "Lodz for business - internationalization of the activities of companies from the Lodz region through participation in the World Exhibition EXPO 2020 in Dubai", financed by funds from the Regional Operational Program for the Lodz region for 2014 - 2020.
The participation in the Expo itself is mentioned by the authors.
The day before the official opening of the exhibition, we showed up at the Polish Pavilion, where an empty hall was already waiting for us. Together with the contractor, we spent the night working hard to finally create a composition rich in color and texture, presenting all the qualities of our province. When the first guests began to visit the space we designed, we undoubtedly felt excitement, but also anxiety about its reception. Probably, these emotions accompany all creators who give their projects to the public. We had the opportunity to observe the visitors and peep at their reactions on a regular basis, which fortunately turned out to be positive," say the exhibition's designers.
Delegation of the Lodz province at the EXPO. On the left, authors of the exhibition: Martyna Piech and Agnieszka Nowacka
© Martyna Piech and Agnieszka Nowacka
exhibition on lodz province
Theidea that guided the authors of the project was the richness of tradition and nature of the Łódź province. The space was divided into two parts: the center and the area around it. In the central part, LED floors were laid, on which shots from the region were projected, as well as animations prepared by Wytwórnia Filmów Oświatowych together with students from the Lodz Film School. The authors of the animations were Natalia Durszewicz, Weronika Szyma, Szymon Ruczynski, Zuzanna Pomorska. In the center of the room was placed a block consisting of four screens, on which the films were also displayed. The central part of the exhibition was completed by the ceiling, fully covered with dried plants and handmade poppy flowers made of tissue paper. In other areas, the ceiling was covered with textiles, referring to the textile history of the region. The purpose of this part was to introduce visitors to the exhibition to the atmosphere of the Lodz region.
central part of the exhibition
© Martyna Piech and Agnieszka Nowacka
The most important intention of our arrangement was to present the richness of the traditions and nature of the Lodz province while taking into account the constantly developing economy. We wanted the exhibition to affect all of the visitor's senses at the same time: sight - through the richness of colors, hearing - through the melodies and sounds played in the immersion zone, taste - through the tasting of apple juice, smell - through the smell of the meadow on the ceiling, and touch - through the inclusion of soft materials between the zones, the authors of the project mention.
central part of the exhibition
© Martyna Piech and Agnieszka Nowacka
The area around the central part was divided into two zones. To the right of the entrance, in the culture zone one could look at traditional folk costumes and drink apple juice. The color composition of the space was meant to refer to the Rawo-Oczno striped pattern.
culture zone
© Martyna Piech and Agnieszka Nowacka
To the left of the entrance, in the modern zone, there was space for the presentation of companies from the Lodz region. The authors opted for a minimalist space, decorated with fabrics in shades of white.
modern zone
© Martyna Piech and Agnieszka Nowacka
what reactions did the exhibition evoke?
During the exhibition, we received a lot of positive feedback about the project. Both from Expo visitors and employees of the Pavilion itself. We learned from people showing around the exhibition that the stand with freshly squeezed juice from Polish apples was very popular. Visitors also paid attention to the center of the exhibition with a ceiling filled with dried plants, which spread everywhere the characteristic pleasant smell associated with a meadow," the exhibition design duo recalled.
The temporary exhibition of Lodz Province is another event related to EXPO 2020 in Dubai. We have also written about the Xylopolis project of Podlaskie Voivodeship. These exhibitions are a good example of combining the essence of local culture with modernity. The authors of the Lodz exhibition besides tried to appeal to every kind of sense - sight, taste, smell and sound.
We would like to remind you that we organized a meeting with the WXCA studio - the authors of the Polish Pavilion - as part of the Open Architecture Studio Festival. The transcript of the meeting can be found here. We invite you to the next meetings within the Festival.
