Water and sustainable development in Expo Zaragoza 2008
Zaragoza Apartments: Expo Zaragoza 2008, a city devoted to water and sustainable development
Zaragoza, in northern Spain, is the setting for the 2008 International Expo, with the theme ‘Water and sustainable development’. This major cultural event will take place 14 June-14 September 2008, and it aims to show the vital importance of water for our planet. Expo Zaragoza 2008 is an International Exposition regulated by the B.I.E., the French abbreviation for the International Expositions Bureau (Bureau International des Expositions).
Universal Expositions are held every 5 years on a site with no area limitations. They last 6 months and address a general theme. An example of this type of exposition is the Seville “Expo 92″. International Expositions, such as the one planned for Zaragoza in 2008, are held over 3 months on a site of no more than 25 hectares. On this occasion, the event will take place at an impressive site alongside a section of the Ebro River, which has been recovered for urban use. In this way the river has been fully integrated into the city, becoming the ‘main street’ of Zaragoza with a series of promenades and public areas over more than six kilometres.
The Expo has meant investment of 1,500 million Euro. It is definitely the biggest challenge in the recent history of Zaragoza. On account of Expo 2008, the regional capital of Aragon has undergone a major transformation with the construction of infrastructure, accesses and buildings, renewed urban transport and the rehabilitation of the banks of the Ebro River, including a navigable section. This is the perfect time to come to Zaragoza and enjoy the 2008 International Expo, a wonderful event that will attract millions of visitors.
The first international exposition took place in London in 1851. Since its success, numerous expositions have been held all over the world, including the Paris Exposition of 1889, which gave birth to the Eiffel Tower. As these events increased in number, a clear need arose to control their frequency. Thus, the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) was created in 1928.
Expo Zaragoza 2008 will offer three large-scale shows based on the basic principles of the Event: ‘Water and Sustainable Development’: Iceberg. Visual Poetic Symphony, Hombre Vertiente, and The awakening of the serpent.
Iceberg
Visual and poetic symphony inspired by Expo Zaragoza 2008, with ‘Water and Sustainable Development’ and ‘Climate Change’ as central themes. It will be a poetic, beautiful, simple show but at the same time moving, ideally seen live but with a format and contents capable of being televised or transmitted by internet in real time.
The central element of the show is a huge iceberg with a minute human figure standing before it - mankind being both the main cause of climate change and its first victim. A dialogue of images and conflicts is established between the iceberg, the man and the Ebro that will guide us along a route mined by the wrongs that cause climate change and that will eventually lead us to the entreaty of a message of hope.
It is a bid for a future where the decisiveness and will of mankind may create a new balanced relationship with nature.
Hombre Vertiente
Successfully brings together distinct disciplines thus allowing the spectator to be part of an event which stimulates all the senses and in which the spectator is a stage element with a leading role in the performance.
The aerial theatre has many characteristics, the importance of vertical space being one of the most significant where the action in this show takes place, breaking the monotony of the traditional Italian stage. It also forges a new kind of relationship between the public and the actors.
The show is an experiment of a new theatrical concept along with the use of skills of different artistic disciplines and high-flying action, converting the aerial theatre into a mixture of emotions where music and intense visual contrast entertains, provoke and move the spectator.
The Awakening of the Serpent
It is the legend of all legends. The characters invoke the serpent, so that it evokes the clouds, that will in turn cause the marvellous and beneficial power of the rain.
Approximately 80 artists will gather around a moving stage that represents a Rainbow Serpent and they will create a stage that will cover a distance of 100 metres.
More information:
International Expo 2008 Zaragoza
