Polish metaphor on high & low tech.
The Polish Pavilion is designed as a metaphorical space, subordinated to the leitmotif of the Polish presentation: Notice the Beauty, focusing on Frederic Chopin and the Salt Mine in Wieliczka near Krakow. The elements that create this space include an experimental wicker elevation and a symbolic cross-section through Poland placed inside. The section unfurls from the Baltic Sea up north to the mountain tops down south, with the 14th c. Wieliczka underground salt mine chamber located underneath. The amphitheatrically formed space above the section is dedicated to multimedia presentations regarding nature and culture of Poland. The elevation of the pavilion is defined through prototype technology based on a modular system of bi-directionally bent steel frames, woven around with white wicker, a type of willow (Salix sp.), widely associated with Chopin (compare F. Chopins monument in Lazienki Park, Warsaw). This material is a reference to Mazovian landscape, the environment of Chopins music. The high-tech, computer generated shape of the elevation creates also a symbolic image of contemporary Poland, a country of fast technological development yet carefully cultivating its history, music, art and crafts – the white wicker mesh is made in a low-tech manner by numerous Polish artisans from villages near Rudnik. The main materials used in pavilion were produced in a pro-ecological, low energy consumption process and will be utilized after the exhibition.
