I had a chat with Katherine Dixon on the UK Pavilion, also known as the Seed Cathedral. Katherine is the UK’s political and economic consul in Shanghai.
The UK Pavilion is one of the most unique pavilions at the Expo or most weird (can I say it?). But in this case, weird is good. My first impression when I saw it was that it looked so soft!
UK Pavilion
But of course it is not really all spongy and squishy. [I have to agree with Glen on LostLaowai--the UK Pavilion looks like "some sort of alien spore coming to take over the planet".]
Curious on the design of the Seed Cathedral? Why is it called Seed Cathedral in the first place? Let’s hear it from the British themselves.
CNReviews: Hey Katherine. Thanks for agreeing to do this interview. Let’s get to the point. Could you explain the theme of the UK Pavilion? How is it related to the Shanghai World Expo’s theme of “Better City, Better Life”?
Katherine Dixon: So the theme of the UK Pavilion is “Building on the past, Shaping our future”. You may know that in 1851 , the UK held the world’s first Expo . Nothing like it has ever been done before.
Crystal Palace simply stunned six million visitors with its incredible, creative design. So over 150 years later at the world’s largest Expo, a major focus of the UK was to deliver a design just as startling and cutting-edge as its ancestor.
Crystal Palace
About the design…well, we wanted to recognize the important role innovation, creativity, and nature has played and continues to play in the UK’s development. Many people in China are aware of the UK’s role as the heart of the industrial revolution: The first World Expo at Crystal Palace was held at a time of rapid urbanization and industrialization in the UK – this was a time when the UK was facing similar challenges to those in China today.
The response in the UK was the innovation of many of the technologies and inventions we take for granted today: such as the underground train (1863), the telephone (1873), and the electric light (1878).
One simple yet powerful innovation was the first public park. This transformed the lives of the urban population and was the inspiration behind the UK Pavilion’s “Urban Park” and the walkways into the Seed Cathedral. UK cities are some of the greenest cities of their size in the world, and nature, light and space have played an important role in making UK cities pleasant places to live.
Derby Arboretum--first public park in England
But the UK has never stood still. Over the last century the UK has turned trains into hybrid engines, telephones into the internet, and electric lights into lunar power. We wanted to reflect this too. The Seed Cathedral is a dramatic demonstration of the UK’s continuing power to innovate and create. Trains, telephones, and even the internet may be world’s technologies of today, but they are the UK’s inventions of yesterday.
The UK Pavilion points to a different vision of the future; one which is in harmony with nature, yet enriched by technological innovation – this is the message of the future plants in the final installation.
CNR: How did you gather the seeds for the Seed Cathedral? Where did they come from?
Seeds encased inside the Seed Cathedral
Dixon: The Seed Cathedral is a representation of of the Millennium Seed Bank. 60.000 acrylic rods, gently swaying in the breeze, pierce the seed cathedral of the UK Pavilion.
Each contains seeds that have been sourced from the Kunming Institute of Botany, a partner in the UK’s Royal Botanic Garden, Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank Project. It is the largest international project of its kind that has now conserved seeds from 10% of the world’s plant species.
The purpose is to use a wide range of plant diversity to enable human adaptation, innovation and resilience in the face of climate change. We wanted to highlight that seeds, carefully harvested and protected, are the route to a sustainable future and through our planet’s biodiversity we can inspire the innovations of the future.
CNR: I saw this group of girls performing something called the “Human Animal”. Can you share something about them?
Dixon: They are just one of many groups that have and will be performing in the the Urban Park. Many different troupes of UK performers will bring the urban park to life throughout Expo.
The ideas was to demonstrate the UK’s strong heritage in the tradition of performing arts, from Shakespeare to more contemporary performances like the Human Animals and street theater. Through this we hoped visitors would experience a taste of the UK cultural scene right in the center of Expo.
CNR: What can you say about the UK and China relations?
Dixon: The Shanghai Expo is the biggest and most ambitious World Expo ever . We have responded accordingly against the backdrop of a strong bilateral relationship. Both governments are committed to a step change in our trade and investment relationship. Our unique and exciting UK presence at Shanghai Expo as a key platform to showcase what the UK has to offer.
CNR: Oh, and anything else we can expect from the UK Pavilion (now that we are halfway through)?
Dixon: Yes, of course, definitely. We’re excited about the program of events: the UK has so much to offer. The challenge was doing this justice in 6000 square metres – the size of the UK Pavilion site. From our cultural heritage and education, to global businesses and cutting edge technologies, we knew the UK couldn’t be housed in an area the size of a football pitch. That’s why our approach to Expo had to be as unique and different as the Pavilion design itself.
The program of events is ambitious, showcasing the very best the UK has to offer in partnership with China. We have over 150 business events going on throughout the six months, demonstrating the strength and breadth of the UK-China trade and investment relationship, including events with a low carbon and science and innovation focus. We also have a major arts, culture and education events program, with highlights including the English National Ballet and the London Symphony Orchestra.
CNR: That’s about it! Thanks, Katherine, once again for your time.
