World Expo '88 Ideas Centre!

Don't forget to visit the official program for the 20th Anniversary at South Bank Celebrates 88!

http://www.southbankcelebrates88.com.au

foundationexpo88 at 4:32:08 AM PDT Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 0 comments: Add your own

Hello

Today has marked the 20th Anniversary of the Official Ceremony of World Expo '88.

This is how I spent the day.

At 10:00am I remembered the World Expo '88 March which left from Brisbane's City Hall to the Expo site by handing out the World Expo '88 Network Guide Pamphlet  to passersby in front of City Hall.

Pamphlets were also given to the new Brisbane Square Library Information Centre for distribution.

At 5:45pm my mother and I had an open commemorative dinner at Cafe San Marco, South Bank Parklands, near the original site of the World Expo '88 River Stage, and, in the presence of Guest from the Brisbane Chorale Richard Woods, discussed the Foundation's progress and new focus.

Special commemorative World Expo '88 20th Anniversary Calendar Cards were also given to the guests at Cafe San Marco as part of the publicity for the event.

A special 20th Anniversary of World Expo '88 Celebration cake was then cut, which ended the proceedings.

All the guests at Cafe San Marco seemed to be in a jovial mood, and remembered quite well the Expo of 20 years earlier.

I left residual Calendar Cards with the Cafe for distribution, and noticed the South Bank Celebrates 88 official program pamphlet also there.

This is quite a comprehensive program and it is good to note the late inclusion of a cultural group from Nepal as part of the World Expo '88 Community Day at the Nepal Peace Pagoda, Saturday 10 May.

South Bank Parklands, with its many red lanterns ready for Birth of the Buddha Festival, looked resplendent, amidst preparations for this other important festival.

Upon returning home, I celebrated the migration of the Foundation Expo '88 eGroup fexpo88 to Google Groups with a promotion to attract membership - a free 2008 Calendar Card to all those who register their name, and forward their postal address to FoundationExpo88@aol.com.

Why not join too?

Join at the Foundation website at http://www.foundationexpo88.org, or, join directly at http://groups.google.com/group/fexpo88/.

It's that simple!

Oh, and on a final note, the World Expo '88 20th Anniversary Countdown Clock has now been de-commissioned - after some 687 days in service. Well done. And now hyperlinks directly to the South Bank Celebrates 88 website, which will at least be in commission for another two months.

The Foundation Expo '88 20th Anniversary of Expo page at http://www.foundationexpo88.org/20th/ with all of its goals will now go into archive - a much loved collection of desires and dreams for the 20th Anniversary - and will now point to future anniversary dates where these objectives may be yet to be achieved.

This blog at AOL Journals however shall continue as a random odd-spot of 20th Anniversary commentary and future goals.

Keep reading!

foundationexpo88 at 4:29:38 AM PDT Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 0 comments: Add your own

Whilst thinking about the South Bank Parklands Cultural Centre Forecourt Flag Forecourt - and how it should be rejuvenated for the 20th Anniversary - replete with the World Globe that sat atop the Cultural Centre overpass during Expo in the centre - I am reminded at the same time of the significance of the South Bank Parklands Visitor Centre - Mark I - that has also been home to a latin tango restaurant, the Canberra University Brisbane Campus - and now the Royal Brisbane International College.

If the Flag Forecourt at South Bank is to be re-dedicated - as the World Expo '88 Commemoration Flag Forecourt - with the flags of all the participants at Expo - and if the globe from the Cultural Centre overpass is also to take pride of place at the centre of the forecourt - which is at present a circular fountain space - which could be used to full dramatic effect during the day and night as a gently hose-water spout like fountain could playfully tease jumping up and down from 36 water spouts at the space's circular periphery - representing each nation at the Expo - how can we re-generate the original Visitor Information Centre building - originally one of the most spectacular structures on the post-Expo South Bank Parklands site - to be a building with meaning - contextual to Expo - and the work of the Expo.

My proposal is that we find an objective which is keeping the spirit and goals of Expo - and one that is already existing in today's Brisbane - and furthermore, works towards strengthening the very positive relations forged through Australia's hosting of World Expo '88 - and that the present International Relations Department and Sister Cities Office of the Brisbane City Council - and International Branch offices of the State Government of Queensland - such as 'International Collaborations', 'The Queensland Smithsonian Institute', and even perhaps arms of the Australian Commonwealth Government in Brisbane - the passport office, Commonwealth Government Department of Tourism, and other Commonwealth Offices be all re-located to this Centre - which we can call 'World Expo '88 Friendship Centre' at South Bank.

The structure is large enough to encompass both private office and open foyer reception space - so it will become in a sense a living testimony and embodiment of open government - and the spirit of goodwill and friendship of World Expo '88.

And, Foundation Expo '88 may be able to have an official office space in the structure also - which would co-ordinate also for the World Expo '88 Commemorative Museum at the Nepalese Peace Pagoda - and, the 'Queensland, Australia Experience' at the Green to the south of the Pagoda (re-creation of the Queensland Pavilion ride and the Australia Pavilion Dreamtime Theatre in one new custom-built futuristic structure).....

Once the Brisbane City Council, State Government of Queensland, Commonwealth Government of Australia, and any World Expo '88 presence office space needs have been met, any office that works for World Peace will be able to apply for rented office space in the Centre - with a minimum 5-year term.

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And, what can be done about creating a coffee shop or World Expositions icons mini-train ride at the base of - or next to - the Expo symbol tower 'Night Companion' - or also known today as the 'Stefan Sky Needle'.

Whilst there is a very good Coffee shop a few hundred metres from the tower - I believe we need something at the tower base itself - in addition to a memorial commemorative information stand describing the tower's role at Expo.

In an earlier blog entry at the start of this Journal, I proposed a World Expositions Icons Mini-Train for a site adjacent to Night Companion - which could also house a coffee house aspect.

Large-scale models of World Expositions icons - a copy of the Eiffel Tower (Paris 1889) three metres high; the Statue of Liberty (partially Philadelphia 1876); the Tower of the Sun (Osaka Expo '70), and so on could feature here - as well as wall-to-wall photograph montage wallpaper of the original sketches for Night Companion - photos of the construction in progress - photos of the tower during Expo - and so on....with endless trivia notes in comic quotation mark format interposing.

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Furthermore what we can do is to create die-cast commemorative information stands at the approximate location of the entry point of each Pavilion and attraction at Expo (at South Bank today) - with monochrome or color photograph engraved rendition of the exterior of the attraction, and a brief three paragraph summary of the attraction/Pavilion itself.

And, South Bank Corporation could commission a new World Expo '88 Commemorative 20th Anniversary Guide Map pamphlet - with a transparent film inside that could be placed atop of same-scale map of South Bank - working as a guide to the locations of Pavilions/attractions during Expo - and to the location of each of the newly commissioned Pavilion/attraction information stands.

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I've been doing some more thinking about the Entrance statements for World Expo '88 during the 20th Anniversary - in particular the attractive fawn stone colonnades that line the Parkland's northern entrance.

I'll get a photo in a few days time. Each of the colonnades could be used in a repeating pattern - displaying the two official World Expo '88 logos - the sun-sails logo - and the boomerang logo - one after the other. As there are 10 or so colonnades per side - and as they are some 3 or 4 metres high each - it would make an impressive banner-like entrance statement for the Parklands during the 20th Anniversary year.

Another idea for the 20th Anniversary is to link the principal World Expo '88 heritage statement buildings together in a form of network - i.e. the 88-metre Expo Symbol Tower 'Night Companion' - now the 'Stefan Sky Needle' - and located just a few hundred metres from the Expo site; the Japanese Pond & Garden - from the Japan Pavilion - now located at the Mt Cooth-tha Botanic Gardens; and the Nepalese Peace Pagoda - now at South Bank.

During the six months of the 20th Anniversary I believe we should have volunteer attendants meet and greet persons at each of these venues, and talk to visitors about the venue's Expo heritage. A special commemorative pamphlet could be made celebrating the three venues - with a token voucher ticket - or commemorative stamp space - to encourage persons to visit all three venues during the 20th Anniversary year. It would be great.

Another idea - for the 30 April 2008 - which will be a Wednesday. An official World Expo '88 Staff Parade leading from Brisbane City Hall to the South Bank Flag Forecourt (there were some 24,000 staff at Expo) - an exact re-enactment of the Official 'Parade of Nations' that was held on the Opening Day.

International staff from each of the Pavilions - as well as the other national and regional and corporate Pavilions - can lead their organisation's/nation's/regional flag. Expo '88 staff from overseas will be encouraged to stay in Brisbane for the full Expo Celebrations week - with special discounts and support from key South Bank and South Brisbane hotels.

And, we celebrate a World Expo '88 Staff Re-Union - at Dreamworld - or another venue - on the weekend of the 20th Anniversary. Transport, entrance, entertainment, and celebratory luncheon all included in the one price.

So, there are really quite a few considerable things we can do just for the Celebrations Week - and right throughout the six month 20th Anniversary celebrations - which - I hope - can also lead to a better permanent commemoration of World Expo '88 in the Brisbane of today!   

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Yesterday as part of the 2006 World Expo '88 Heritage Walking Trail I paid homage to some of the outstanding works of art collected by the City of Brisbane thanks to our own World Expo '88 - and had the chance this time to closely inspect some of the works - and find and see things - perspectives - that I had not seen before.

Whilst at the Stefan Sky Needle - known as Night Companion during World Expo '88 - I noticed that whilst the Sky Needle adjoins the Stefan Car Park, it is not inside the Car Park as many would think from a passing look.

In fact, it is part of a rectangular slab of green parkland adjoining the Stefan site.

Given my thoughts over the past few days of what could be done at the Tower's base - including - a disco - where the lit-up Tower and Base would form a dramatic backdrop; a Cafe - perhaps including World Expo '88 popular memorabilia and Expo Oz in a 'themed-cafe'; or even a World Expositions park which could feature iconic structures from other Expositions, in a miniature train-ride type attraction; I came to the conclusion that what could be wonderful for the base of Night Companion is for a Youth Hostel to be built.

Brisbane is a tourist and backbacker's mecca - attracting persons from near and far as a gateway to the northern and southern golden beaches. It is also a mecca for students and others on working holiday visas. And West End/South Brisbane has its own particular bohemian, cosmopolitan and coffee club atmosphere with its numerous ethnic and european coffee shops, restaurants, and book stores - and yet only a few minutes walk to the centre of town.

A Youth Hostel at the base of Night Companion would be easily found from afar - with it's 88-metre Tower atop - and it could also become a type of commemorative World Expo '88 centre in its own right. Much like the 'Hard Rock Cafe' franchises.

As part of this development, the remaining 3/4 of the land could become parkland - with cascading fountains, BBQ areas, shaded areas and palm trees, several 'Expo' elements - such as works of art - etc.... and so on, to be named 'World Expo '88 Park'.

What a good idea!

 

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A World Expositions Museum - what type?

Some debate at the ExpoMuseum discussion forum on a World Expositions Museum - it probably means that there can be several - with a focus on Australia at World Expositions - at a Canberra 'Australia at World Expositions Museum' - which would compliment the Brisbane 'World Expo '88 Museum' proposal.

Here are my thoughts....

[Don't forget - for general World Expositions discussion, to join the expomuseum.com forum]

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World Expo '88 Discussion Forum Note:

This is a thread to the expomuseum.com discussion forum - regarding a present debate on post-Exposition development, and an 'Expo Museum'.

Read contributions to the debate at the expomuseum.com discussion forum.

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Interesting to pick up on this discussion regarding post-Expo development - an important part of the Expositions lifecycle from re-development (or development) for the Expo site, to hosting of the Expo itself, and then to the site's rejuvenation as a new development after the Expo's conclusion.

 It is most probably true that many former, present and future Expo cities can learn from each other in this regard - the essential struggles, challenges, optimism and negativism are all part of the collective Expositions experience - and I guess this is also what the new B.I.E. body - the Assembly of Expo Cities and Regions - known  by its French acronym A.V.E. - is all about.

A further step in this of course is the promotion of our own Expo's cultural heritage - and as I was noting at a function at the Queensland Museum last week for International Museums Day, in terms of an Expo Museum, a Museum dedicated just to Australia's representation at World Expositions could be a Museum in itself. And there of course would  be in such a representation some general coverage of each Exposition of the time. An interesting study in itself would be to see how Pavilion attendants uniforms for Australia at World Expositions have changed over the decades. It is, more or less, an interesting vignette of how a nation has presented itself to the international forum at any given Expo year.

A World Expo '88 Museum - would be another type of Expositions Museum. And, a World Expositions Museum - would be probably another category of Museum in itself as well. But where should it be? And to what degree should this Expo Museum also reflect the Expositions history of the nation where the Expo Museum is hosted? Is it a work of the B.I.E. to create a one-stop World Expositions Museum? The marketing and memorabilia arm in the Museum gift shop would be a considerable venture - and profitable one - in itself.

If it comes down to the B.I.E. - it should, I believe, be a Expo Museum of a generic nature. Not highlighting one Pavilion over another - just focussing on iconic features of each Exposition that differ it from one Exposition to another. Of course, in the rare instance where a particular Pavilion becomes associated with the memory of the Exposition as a whole, it should be highlighted.

This is much the case with the iconic structures from Brisbane's World Expo '88 - the massive sun-sails that graced the site, the expo symbol tower the 88-metre 'Night Companion', and, the serene Nepalese Peace Pagoda - the only participant-made structure from Expo '88 - and the only Pavilion still remaining on the former Expo site, the now popular Southbank Parklands. This is also the proposed venue for the World Expo '88 Museum - a task which will not happen overnight, but an important and worthy task nonetheless.

As for a Museum dedicated to Australia's representation at World Expositions - also I believe an important priority - this should, I believe, be located at the nation's capital - Canberra. It should be a serious dissertation on every Australian - pre-and-post Federation - representation at a World Exposition. And I believe it could be done very well.

So in fact, when it comes to 'Expo Museums' - I think it comes down to three different types:

1. An Expo Museum on one World Exposition
2. An Expo Museum on one nation's (or state's/corporation's) historical participation at World Expositions
3. An Expo Museum on the history of each World Exposition since 1851 - including present expositions and precis on future bidding Expo cities/regions

How does an entity such as expomuseum.com enter into this?, and what is the value of 'non-official' Expositions stake-holders?

Quite a lot, I would venture to say. 'Official' stake-holders - which usually means government funded - have an important role to play - but this is just one voice and in any arena, or field of study, you would want to show that there is a diverse interest in the subject, from professional consultants to government bureaucrats to hobbyists and experts and so on....and you would probably want to hope that in this process, to further debate and growth, that even attacking the same point that there is a diverse point of view as well.

Some would even argue that in the general public's mind - the role of a 'non-official' stake-holder is far greater - as they do not operate under the considerable restraints of a government bureaucracy where often just to get one document published it needs to go through several rounds of red-tape - and then in the end - not get published at all.

So, in this sense, the smaller, still voice of the non-government not-for-profit sector rings out in fact quite loudly. As a voice that is not determined by government or profit making constraints or policy. The general public believe that the opinion expressed by such bodies is a better - or more 'objective' view of the truth - and it does add to the general debate on the matter, as well as further the topic in the public's mind.

Urso's work at expomuseum.com has in this sense filled in the void between 'official' and 'non-official', yet carries considerable weight. After all, even in all of my life's work I may never meet a B.I.E. official, yet, I can quite considerably enter into a discussion or debate regarding the B.I.E. or a world expositions topic, through the expomuseum.com discussion forum group - still I should mention, a new development in the history of the internet and in the history of tele-communications and/or communications.

People will also feel more free to speak their mind to an non-government not-for-profit entity - so it does in fact further the topic in a general sense and do much good will - which is then also shared vicariously by the B.I.E. and her member nations.

So even an Expo Museum is quite a complex affair - and as a recent posting to this forum - including photographs of a scale model of Expo 70 - has shown, there would be certain things you could only display on the internet, as opposed to providing physical storage (and publicly accessible display space).

If an Expo Museum, i.e. as in point #3, is to go ahead though - and I think it should - and I think it is the B.I.E.'s role to do so - and that it should be in Paris - it should also have a match-for-match equivalent on the internet - as per the popular Musee Guimet. A virtual visit to Musee Guimet takes you from a street-side vista of the Museum, and gives you remote control arrows to guide yourself - in a quick-time movie format - backwards, forwards, right, left and so on - zooming on where required, and so on. So, the Paris Expo Museum - should be the same. The physical presence - and virtual presence - a mirror of the other.

If it is too early to hand out awards - (I don't think it is though) - Urso should still be given a gold medal for his role in popularly disseminating World Expositions popular culture and debate through expomuseum.com - and as for running the Museum in Paris - he should probably brush up on his French! (couldn't we all!)

The last possible venture of course - is that there be a B.I.E. Pavilion at every World Exposition - an Expo Museum at every World Expo - which will play an important role in furthering the B.I.E.'s corporate culture in the public's mind, as well as further the role and history of World Expositions at the optimal site to an optimal audience - i.e. during a World Expo - and at a World Expo. In this case, it probably needs to be a dual-venture - the Expo Museum headquarters in Paris - and, a travelling Expo Museum at the B.I.E. Pavilion at each World Exposition.

So, maybe Urso doesn't need to learn French?! The B.I.E. Pavilion at each World Exposition will no doubt also draw on local as well as international experts - and it maybe a revolving consultancy - but it may also involve permanent staff on a Expo-to-Expo basis.

Many Expo staff in fact, are involved in the same manner - which makes it a very immediate and attractive profession - let's hope that the Expo Museum in Paris can get up - and that a B.I.E. Pavilion/Expo Museum at each Expo - also becomes a working reality! Then there is the added task of a ''Nation A at World Expositions Museum' - focussing on one nation's representation to World Expositions, and, a World Expo Museum at a civic level that focusses on expositions held by a singular host city.

And, how will we know about it? We will still need a base to return to that allows for informal and other discussion - as well as another e-forum/reference point for World Expositions history - and this is where I think expomuseum.com has done very well - and continues to do so.

In all, it means 'Well done!, Urso!'

John R McGregor
Founder and Foundation Executive Director
Foundation Expo '88
Progressing the World Expo '88 Vision
- A non-government not-for-profit entity celebrating Brisbane's World Expo '88 -
--<Your Australian World Expositions News Portal>--
http://www.foundationexpo88.org
executivedirector@foundationexpo88.org
FoundationExpo88@aol.com

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