Expectations Vs. Results
We were pretty excited to get a chance to see our first ever World’s Fair while in Milan. Expo Milan 2015, as this World’s Fair is called, is held under the theme Feeding the planet, energy for life.
So what was I expecting that got me so excited? I was looking forward to seeing the latest in innovations that help “feed the planet” or provide “energy for life”, basically I wanted to see how the future will improve things. I was hoping we’d get the added bonus of trying unique foods and watching cultural open-air events.
For €69/person, and a jacked up metro ride price, we got to enter a very expensive international food court. For €20/person you *may* get a chance to try a plate of a nation’s traditional food. If you stood in line for over an hour or so you *may* get to walk through an exhibit featuring videos (not real people) of what foods the country *currently* produces. Not only could most of the world not afford to enter the Expo, but a majority wouldn’t be able to afford to eat there.
I didn’t see a single advancement in how any country is doing things when it comes to “feeding the planet” or “providing energy for life”. How can you feed the planet when you can’t even easily feed a private exhibition with pricey entrance fees?! Sadly, McDonalds was the only place that offered an advanced ordering system (that was kind of neat) and reasonable prices.
Some Highlights
The US had a nice technology that allowed you to turn on/of the electrically tinted windows. However, it was tucked away in the back of the pavilion and not getting any use (except from me).
The only thing being handed out were Strawberries from the kind hearted people of Poland. And if you waited for a show you *may* get to a sample of chocolates or gelato.
Venezuela had a neay hologram video display, but it closed right after we got there.
For the most part, the exhibits were filled with table settings, native crops, and video screens.
Architecture
By far, the most interesting part of the expo was the Architecture. The buildings were all unique and beautiful. It was definitely the highlight of our walk through the event.
The Tree of Life
The “Tree of Life” (one of the things we were looking towards seeing) was a sad display of smoke and water technics (with a slowly filled air balloon – see video) that lasted about 2 minutes.
Of course, we made the best of it and pushed ourselves to not judge too early. After the 3rd hour though, we agreed we had to come to terms with the fact that the Expo was a severe disappointment. Watch us turn the frown upside down in the video below.
Sean Shadmand 