Feature: Net metaphor brings visitors into Brazil heart at Expo Milano

A multi-sensory experience is what the Brazil pavilion at Expo Milano 2015 has chosen for its visitors, starting from a suspended net whose sensors capture movements and influence the sound and the lighting systems.

The net connects the building's three floors. "We have opted for a physical experience instead of a merely audiovisual one to represent our idea of production and consumption of food in Brazil, where everybody works in a flexible way and is part of a network," Marcelo Souza, project and construction manager of the Brazil pavilion, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Technology, culture and sharing are at the core of the pavilion, titled "Feeding the world with solutions." The chosen theme highlights Brazil's willingness to meet the demands of global markets through the use of advanced technologies that enable increased productivity by using fewer resources, Souza said.

In fact, he noted, Brazil is today the fourth supplier of agricultural products in the world. Over the last 20 years the country has significantly increased investments in fields such as nanotechnology, environmental management, sustainable agriculture, agro-energy and genetic improvement of plants.

The pavilion's visit starts from an open area named "Green Gallery" filled with luxuriant plants, flowers and fruits from Brazil, and tables with interactive games and information about the puzzle of different cultures that the South American country is made of.

"This approach has always been part of the tradition of Brazil pavilion at world exhibitions since the 1930s. We have always projected spaces in which people can chose different routes without having to follow a definite one, which mirrors the Brazilian environment," Souza went on saying.

Then a ramp at the 4,133 square-meter pavilion gives access to the first floor of the area, where a 56-meters video wall plays a film about the country's wealth in raw materials and advanced techniques to increase and diversify food production.

On the opposite wall, Brazilian agricultural products are showcased in five digital lab benches. "We have many classes visiting the pavilion, and we know that for many school children this is a first contact with an idea of Brazil," Souza explained to Xinhua.

Thus the presence at nutrition-themed Expo Milano 2015 is an opportunity for the country to further raise awareness on investments in research and development, while at the same time protecting the environment and safeguarding biodiversity, which is vital for the future of the planet.

But besides being educational the Brazil pavilion is also entertaining. The interiors display Brazilian design such as benches and lamps made with indigenous handicrafts and also feature an exhibition, "Alimentario," which tightens the relationship between art and gastronomy.

"Our pavilion is particularly full of visitors in the evenings and at the weekends. They are mostly interested in the external area, but the internal exhibition spaces and restaurant are always very busy too," Souza pointed out. For example having a Brazilian coffee at the pavilion's cafe, he said, cannot be missed. Endit