January 06 / 2012
Lithuania will invite Expo 2012 visitors inside amber
In summer, the South Korean city of Yeosu will host the international exhibition "Expo 2012", where Lithuania will appear as the country of amber.
The idea of the Lithuanian pavilion will be to create a feeling of looking at the world from inside the amber, reported the Ministry of Environment.
“Amber has been known as Baltic gold, which is an integral part of our culture. It is only here that amber gets washed ashore by the Baltic Sea, often containing many relics of the past locked inside and called “inclusions”: plants, insects and even animals. The Lithuanian pavilion will provide an opportunity for visitors to feel as if they were part of these "inclusions", – says the Ministry.
According to Romas Jankauskas, Head of Public Information and Education Division of the Ministry of Environment, and Commissioner General of the Lithuanian Exposition at EXPO 2012, the stand will be covered inside with amber imitation coating, reflecting monochromatic yellow light. The inside space will have an unusual ambiance, as people and objects will appear in black and white with almost no shadows, thus creating a special feeling.
The interior will have openings with rotating images of Vilnius, the Curonian Spit, Trakai, the Hill of Crosses, and other notable sights.
There will also be a possibility to get hands on the history of amber with different samples containing all sorts of relics trapped inside.
The upper floor will house a specialized presentation on Lithuania, film days and photography exhibitions.
The facade of the pavilion will feature a piece of amber with an inclusion, and the entrance will be decorated with stylized aged tree figures, reminiscent of Juodkrantė treasures.
A stylized amber amulet from the well-known Juodkrantė's treasure of the Neolithic period serves as a talisman of the pavilion. Its author designer Kotryna Žilinskienė has given it a name of Gintaris (Amber). The Juodkrantė treasure was collected in 1860-1881 in the Curonian Lagoon, 0.65 miles north of Juodkrantė. It is believed that the articles could have washed through the passage, which was present at that time at the Curonian Spit, from Stone Age settlements of Semba peninsula.
The logo of the Lithuanian Pavilion features Žilinskienė’s amulet of Juodkrantė treasure as well as an archaic wavelet pattern. According to the author, it encodes the recovery of the treasure from the depths of the lagoon, the Lithuanian amber washed up ashore by the sea, and the Baltic sun rising over the sea.
The international exhibition in South Korea is expected to have participating over a hundred countries and international organizations. It will present the most advanced marine resources technologies, issues of environmental protection and sustainable development, and ocean and sea coast peoples.
Expo 2012 will take place from May 12 until August 12 and is expected to attract over 8 million visitors.
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