Spectacular installation adds magic at Expo 2020’s Sustainability Pavilion!

Equinox, an animated sculpture by celebrated British artist Mat Collishaw, and commissioned by Expo 2020 Dubai, has been revealed at Terra – The Sustainability Pavilion.

Terra – one of Expo’s three Thematic Pavilions – presents a stunning showcase for the 3D artwork that binds zoetrope technology, an early form of animation, to create a captivating optical illusion. 

The centrepiece is a giant lotus flower, highlighting an orbit of insects, spinning on its vertical axis. Its petals act as ‘shutters’ – animating the insects within as they appear to fly, eat and pollinate in perfect harmony. They also function as a sacred chalice conserving insect ecology, with their enhanced scale underscoring the cataclysm that would follow their decline.

Accompanying the work, which stands more than five metres high and three metres wide, is a selection of poems that praise the sanctity of nature, including those by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and celebrated English poet and painter William Blake.

The entire installation is a poetic commentary on the delicate calibration of the Earth’s natural ecosystems and will inspire millions of visitors to reassess their relationship with the natural world.

Source: Expo 2020 official website