Japan's crowd-pleasing pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai has been transported from the Middle East to the Far East to wow visitors five years on at the latest world's fair in Osaka.
The white origami-inspired structure has been repurposed as the Women's Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, serving to build on the strong cultural connections between the past two event hosts.
The translucent membrane-like structure that combines both Japanese and Middle Eastern geometric patterns was among the most popular sites of the Dubai Expo.
The geometric motifs were reassembled by a renowned Japanese architect into the Women's Pavilion to forge a link between two global expositions in the UAE and Japan.
“I wanted to express Japanese reality as it is for our generation, as our consciousness is not entirely immersed in Japan. We are a global mix and a distinct kind of Japanese-ness has arisen from that mix,” said Yuko Nagayama, who conceived both the Japan pavilion at the Dubai Expo and the Osaka project that tells stories of women, empowerment and gender equality.
People can take a pause in our Japanese garden which is a quieter space and look at the expo below
Emmanuelle Begue,
Cartier Women’s Pavilion deputy lead
A stunning example of adaptive architecture, the facade that drew millions in Dubai has been reutilised in Osaka and is drawing curious visitors once again.
Ms Nagayama said she designed it merging traditional Arabesque and Japanese patterns to reflect the connections with cultures of the Middle East.
Tradition mixed with modernity
At the Osaka Expo that opened in April, the remodelled pavilion sits beside the world’s largest wooden ring that encircles hundreds of national pavilions.
About 10,000 steel rods and ball joints were given a new lease of life and reassembled at the new site in Japan to inspire others to conserve and recycle.
The origami cubes that knit into a tightly-closed frame at the Dubai Expo have opened up in Osaka almost like windows looking over the Expo site.
“We saw this as a great opportunity to show the potential of reusing material,” said Ms Nagayama.
The facade draws inspiration from Japanese kumiko woodwork, a traditional technique that assembles thin slats of timbre without using nails.
“I hope the Women’s Pavilion will be a starting point, and eventually the issues that women face will be resolved and the next generation will no longer need a separate pavilion,” she said.
Core message
Instead of water bodies that surrounded the pavilion in Dubai, green spaces have been created by replanting shrubs and plants from the mountains surrounding Kansai and Osaka.
The play of light and shade on the origami exterior lends it a different feel when lit up at night and under the glare of the sun.
The core message is a call for a bright future with mutual respect in which everyone, irrespective of gender, has the opportunity to reach their full potential and live together in harmony.
“The idea to use plants is about nurturing so people can take a pause in our Japanese garden which is a quieter space and look down over at the expo below,” said Emmanuelle Begue, the Cartier Women’s Pavilion venue deputy lead. “We want people to browse and get immersed in the experience.”
Once the Expo ends, the plants and trees will be replanted in a forest outside Osaka.
The Women’s Pavilion in collaboration with Cartier is a project of Japan’s Ministry of Economy and Trade and the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition.
The idea of a women’s pavilion dates back to the Expo 1873 Vienna as a powerful expression for women to converge, showcase their work, ideas and highlight their rights.
At Osaka, the pavilion seeks to stimulate the senses with canvas, stone and plant art work using storytelling to amplify the voices of women, train the spotlight on their contributions and empower the next generation.
Visitors can select various paths, watch a series of video and audio messages from women lawyers, activists, artists, entrepreneurs and leaders.
“You can listen to a woman who explains what it is like being a refugee and coming from a country at war, the women talk about the environment, the challenges we face, there are so many different layers,” Ms Begue said.
“We are working on the theme of togetherness and want everyone to feel involved.”
Award-winning British artist Es Devlin, the global artistic lead of the Women’s Pavilion, said the focus was on their transformative power.
Ms Devlin had conceptualised the UK pavilion at the Dubai Expo where visitors were asked to contribute a word and the text was broadcast across a massive wooden conical structure.
“I’ve always viewed World Expos as a collection of unique musical instruments, where each pavilion sings and reverberates well beyond its initial six-month lifespan,” Ms Devlin said in a bulletin on women released by the BIE, the organisation that supervises the World Expos.
She said the stories shared in Osaka would engage visitors as “facts are far more effective when they are felt.”
“I feel the impact could be immense as the pavilion really has the ability to touch, reach and make a difference. The pavilion is for all. It's using the word woman as a lens to explore specific challenges and to celebrate specific achievements.”
Plans for parts of the structure to have a life beyond the two expos are being worked out.
The pavilion has more than 150 programmes and workshops around gender, art, culture, financial education scheduled through to October.
Company%20Profile
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UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (c), Chamani Senevirathne (vc), Subha Srinivasan, NIsha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Esha Oza, Ishani Senevirathne, Heena Hotchandani, Keveesha Kumari, Judith Cleetus, Chavi Bhatt, Namita D’Souza.
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England World Cup squad
Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wkt), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
RESULTS
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,400m
Winner: AF Tathoor, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 1,000m
Winner: Dahawi, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 2,000m
Winner: Aiz Alawda, Fernando Jara, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 2,000m
Winner: ES Nahawand, Fernando Jara, Mohammed Daggash
7pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: Winked, Connor Beasley, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Al Ain Mile Group 3 (PA) Dh350,000 1,600m
Winner: Somoud, Connor Beasley, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
8pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: Al Jazi, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
The%20specs
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014%20PLUS
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2.0
Director: S Shankar
Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films
Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Profile of Tarabut Gateway
Founder: Abdulla Almoayed
Based: UAE
Founded: 2017
Number of employees: 35
Sector: FinTech
Raised: $13 million
Backers: Berlin-based venture capital company Target Global, Kingsway, CE Ventures, Entrée Capital, Zamil Investment Group, Global Ventures, Almoayed Technologies and Mad’a Investment.
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
RESULTS
Argentina 4 Haiti 0
Peru 2 Scotland 0
Panama 0 Northern Ireland 0
BABYLON
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What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
%3Cp%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenationalnews.com%2Fbusiness%2Feconomy%2Fislamic-economy-consumer-spending-to-increase-45-to-3-2tn-by-2024-1.936583%22%20target%3D%22_self%22%3EGlobal%20Islamic%20economy%20to%20grow%203.1%25%20to%20touch%20%242.4%20trillion%20by%202024%3C%2Fa%3E%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenationalnews.com%2Fbusiness%2Feconomy%2Fuk-economy-plunges-into-worst-ever-recession-after-record-20-4-contraction-1.1062560%22%20target%3D%22_self%22%3EUK%20economy%20plunges%20into%20worst-ever%20recession%20after%20record%2020.4%25%20contraction%3C%2Fa%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenationalnews.com%2Fbusiness%2Feconomy%2Fislamic-economy-consumer-spending-to-increase-45-to-3-2tn-by-2024-1.936583%22%20target%3D%22_self%22%3EIslamic%20economy%20consumer%20spending%20to%20increase%2045%25%20to%20%243.2tn%20by%202024%3C%2Fa%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The years Ramadan fell in May
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
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F1 drivers' standings
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes 281
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 247
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes 222
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull 177
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 138
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull 93
7. Sergio Perez, Force India 86
8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 56
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
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