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The National
18-04-2025
- The National
Emirati women bring UAE pavilion to life to tell nation's story at Osaka Expo
Inside a tall glass-encased structure at the Expo Osaka 2025, Japanese families breathe in the fragrance from a hand-carved earthen incense burner inside the UAE pavilion, watched closely by the close-knit team who have brought it all to life. Young couples touch date palm reeds that stretch high above them in an oasis recreated with more than two million palm fronds, as children sit on rugs spread across the pavilion to watch as their parents brush their fingers across bold black and white threads woven on a traditional wooden loom. The team behind it is a group led by women that has worked closely with hundreds of UAE and Japanese craftspeople, woodcarvers, architects, designers and suppliers. They tell the nation's story using artefacts from iron and silver khanjars (daggers) to touchscreens that detail the UAE's progress in space exploration, sustainability and solar energy. With the title Earth to Ether, the pavilion tells of a nation proud of its heritage, whose people have sky-high ambitions. Mariam Al Memari, the head of the UAE Expo Office, speaks of the collective effort to build the pavilion using agricultural waste, discarded date palm trees and leaves in Japan. It took meticulous planning to source date palm waste from farmers in the Middle East and North Africa region, she told The National. 'What is really interesting about this participation is the UAE approach in bringing together different collaborations with partners and suppliers from Japan, the world and the UAE from design, to content to setting up the supply chains for us to actually to deliver this pavilion,' Ms Al Memari said. This is the second time the World Expo has come to Osaka. The first time the city hosted it, in 1970, 64 million people visited, making it the most-visited world's fair of the 20th century. Abu Dhabi made its debut at that fair, with a pavilion inspired by a fort in Al Ain. 'This Expo is really special for us as we started our Expo journey through Abu Dhabi's participation in 1970, and now we're back as the UAE more than 55 years later,' Ms Al Memari said. 'Now we are showcasing our leading efforts in various fields such as space exploration, health care and sustainable technology.' The massive glass walls work as an invitation, with visitors glancing into the clear structure and then walking in to explore further. 'It really feels like the UAE is saying 'welcome, you can come here and shelter'. And on days when it's been raining, a lot of people use the pavilion as a place to rest,' said Shaikha Al Ketbi, the UAE pavilion's creative director. 'We know it's physically challenging to see so many exhibitions at once and it's almost a relief when you find a place to sit. We considered that in our design to make people feel relaxed and welcome.' Handwork by artisans from both countries created the entrance pergola that uses Japanese cedar topped with a canopy of khoos, an Emirati craft of weaving dried date palms. A traditional Emirati architectural technique called areesh is fused with detailed Japanese woodwork to mould the date palm reeds into 90 columns that soar 16 metres high. 'The entire design concept is rooted in the idea of areesh but we wanted to reinterpret what areesh can look like in the future,' Ms Al Ketbi said. 'It was part of our past but how will it look in our future and how can we continue to incorporate it in buildings?' A room at the back of the pavilion has people queuing up for short workshops on sadu, khoos and talli, traditional braiding, weaving and decorative embroidery demonstrated by Emirati craftswomen. Visitors gather on chairs around a table, choose from pink, blue or gold threads, follow the steps shown by the Emirati women and listen to instructions in Japanese and English from guides. They leave with small souvenirs – keychains, bookmarks or miniature spindle replicas. Several events and workshops have been planned throughout the six-month Expo. Shamma Al Bastaki, the narrative lead, said the response from visitors was overwhelming. 'It has been so rewarding and overwhelming, in a good way, to see how people have been interacting with the exhibits,' said Ms Al Bastaki, an Emirati poet who oversees content development and strategic storytelling. 'It was always designed to be multisensory and tangible, but we didn't really expect the extent to which people would interact with each exhibit, from the scent of the oudh, to the scent of the palm on the columns.' She read a poem, From the Earthly to the Ethereal, at the pavilion opening last week. 'We want visitors to learn about the cutting edge work the UAE is doing through the content,' she said. 'The palm tree inspired the design if you see how the palm tree is rooted to the earth but reaches for the ether, for the cosmos and the stars. This reflects the UAE's journey, how it's always connected to its heritage but with sky-high ambitions when we highlight sustainability and space exploration.'
Sharjah 24
13-04-2025
- General
- Sharjah 24
Palm fronds tell UAE's story at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai
"Earth to Ether" design concept The pavilion's design, themed 'Earth to Ether', comprises 90 towering wooden columns, each reaching 16 meters in height, forming a visual forest that celebrates sustainability and human innovation, seamlessly blending traditional Emirati craftsmanship with refined Japanese carpentry techniques. Recycled materials with cultural significance The facades of this national edifice are adorned with recycled date pits, presenting the world with a unique Emirati vision that combines authenticity, sustainability, and architectural imagination, utilising approximately two tonnes of this renewable material in the design of the pavilion and its entrances. This reflects the significance of the palm tree not only as a symbol of Emirati identity, but also as a building material that is renewed and reshaped to tell the story of a nation reinventing its heritage with a spirit of the future. Eco-friendly innovation and materials Shaikha Al Ketbi, UAE Pavilion Creative Director, Deputy Commissioner General of the Pavilion, told the Emirates News Agency (WAM), that the pavilion's design is based on the recycling of natural materials directly related to the local environment. She highlighted the use of innovative, eco-friendly material such as "Datecrete" for flooring in the pavilion's entrance, a sustainable alternative to cement made from ground date pits, a purely Emirati innovation. She also shed light on the "Date Form" material, developed from palm and date waste, which was used in designing various elements of the pavilion. International collaboration behind the design Al Ketbi explained that the pavilion's design is the result of a creative collaboration between Emirati, Japanese, and international multidisciplinary companies within the 'Earth to Ether' group. This collaboration integrated diverse expertise in architecture, engineering, technology, carpentry, and design, under the supervision and leadership of the Expo UAE Team. The Group successfully merged creative partners, including the Italian company Raymond, Atelier Brückner, Ro'ya, and the global studio SLA. Cultural harmony through landscape The natural spaces of the UAE pavilion have been designed to reflect a harmonious cultural dialogue. The Japanese "Satoyama" forests, with their oak and red pine trees adorning the facade, represent the harmonious coexistence between nature and humans. Visitors enjoy the shade of the Pergola roof, made from Japanese cedar wood and shaded with patterns of Emirati "Khoos," a traditional art of weaving palm fronds.
Al Etihad
13-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Al Etihad
Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai: UAE's story unfolds through stunning display of two million palm fronds
13 Apr 2025 21:54 OSAKA (WAM) In a unique visual spectacle embodying the fusion of heritage and innovation, the UAE pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai rises in the form of an enchanting forest of wooden columns, an architectural masterpiece constructed from over two million palm fronds gathered from across the Middle East and North Africa, narrating a tale of inspiration from the symbol of generosity and resilience in Emirati pavilion's design, themed 'Earth to Ether,' comprises 90 towering wooden columns, each reaching 16 meters in height, forming a visual forest that celebrates sustainability and human innovation, seamlessly blending traditional Emirati craftsmanship with refined Japanese carpentry facades of this national edifice are adorned with recycled date pits, presenting the world with a unique Emirati vision that combines authenticity, sustainability, and architectural imagination, utilising approximately two tonnes of this renewable material in the design of the pavilion and its entrances. This reflects the significance of the palm tree not only as a symbol of Emirati identity, but also as a building material that is renewed and reshaped to tell the story of a nation reinventing its heritage with a spirit of the Pavilion Creative Director and Deputy Commissioner General of the Pavilion, Shaikha Al Ketbi, told WAM that the pavilion's design is based on the recycling of natural materials directly related to the local environment. She highlighted the use of innovative, eco-friendly material such as "Datecrete" for flooring in the pavilion's entrance, a sustainable alternative to cement made from ground date pits, a purely Emirati also shed light on the "Date Form" material, developed from palm and date waste, which was used in designing various elements of the Ketbi explained that the pavilion's design is the result of a creative collaboration between Emirati, Japanese, and international multidisciplinary companies within the 'Earth to Ether' group. This collaboration integrated diverse expertise in architecture, engineering, technology, carpentry, and design under the supervision and leadership of the Expo UAE Team. The Group successfully merged creative partners, including the Italian company Raymond, Atelier Brückner, Ro'ya, and the global studio natural spaces of the UAE pavilion have been designed to reflect a harmonious cultural Japanese "Satoyama" forests, with their oak and red pine trees adorning the facade, represent the harmonious coexistence between nature and humans. Visitors enjoy the shade of the Pergola roof, made from Japanese cedar wood and shaded with patterns of Emirati "Khoos," a traditional art of weaving palm fronds.
