This is an article from the Architecture Australia archives and may use outdated formatting
described these extravagant late 19th and early 20th century spectacles as “places of pilgrimage to the commodity fetish”. They were also important opportunities for nations (including Australia) to demonstrate their progress and to construct their identities. Indeed, Paul Greenhalgh describes them as the “cultural spawn of industry and empire”. So what role do expositions have in a post-industrial, post-colonial world? Where the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle displayed the advancements of 19th century civilisation, Expo 2000 represents a world dealing with the fallout of just those advancements. ‘Humankind – Nature – Technology’, Expo 2000’s theme follows Agenda 21, an environmental policy action programme. The architecture of Expo 2000 is to demonstrate this theme: “Pavilions made of paper, wood or other natural materials turn Expo 2000 into a display of environmentally friendly architectural achievements.” Tonkin Zulaikha’s approach was to use passive environmental control systems and a truly temporary structure – the steel framing is hired from a rock and roll staging company. But stage hire also refers obliquely to a less collective experience. Tonkin Zulaikha describe the pavilion as “little more than an elaborate stage set poised in an atmosphere of outright competition”. Expo 2000’s theme invokes a cooperative international community, working together in the face of environmental crisis. But it is also a national marketing opportunity not to be missed. Publicity material describes the pavilion as “a platform for Australia, Australians and Australian business to promote themselves to the world”. The focus is on the inventiveness of Australians: the official pavilion motto being “from the boomerang to the bionic ear”.
The pavilion design was driven by a particular set of spatial experiences, intended to reflect the multiple experiences of Australia. However, this is too subtle for marketing purposes. Despite Tonkin Zulaikha’s abstract spatial intentions, official publicity promotes the form: “The pavilion mirrors the colours, shapes and textures of our ancient land”. Marketing can make an icon of anything. —Justine Clark
