To Build: The Poem Pavilion

To build a poem, as a work of art, takes a large amount of time and patience. To live in another life, if only for a brief moment, is a truly enlightening experience. Imagine, dear reader, the thrill of writing and creating a poem whilst also being able to walk within it. A real-life work of art. The Poem Pavilion at the Dubai Expo (the latest in a long string of World Expos) is poetry reincarnate. Originally scheduled to host in 2020, but postponed due to the Covid pandemic, the city will showcase next year the latest in architecture innovation.

For the British stage designer, Es Devlin, having designed stages for the likes of Beyonce and Kanye West, the art of creating the poem is all in the building. To be unveiled at the Expo, her cross-laminated pavilion will use an advanced AI software to allow words donated by the visitors to be displayed on the façade written in English or Arabic. The structure, being the first pavilion designed by a female, was designed alongside British structural architect and engineer Atelier One to create an environmentally-friendly building. It has the intention to highlight the importance of technology and diversity in all its forms. In a statement given last year, Devlin explained how: ‘Algorithms are among us, they are an ever-growing part of our culture, their output is based on what they are trained on and who trains them.’

Inside the Poem Pavilion, visitors will be welcomed by a space that will be inviting and relatively sparse. The building, in simpler terms, with its LED lights and poetry on the walls, is the exhibition. Visitors would also be treated to an eerie soundscape that plays as they walk around the space. Poetry might not be to everyone’s taste, but this pavilion surely will be something that will make you want to put pen to paper and dream.