A space of interchange - A marketplace.

Digital information exchange meets analogue interfaces. The design process of “Arable field” is driven by the idea of a porous structure organized around a looped promenade with fields of cultural products and information. The desire was to physically embed all 144 presenting countries within the architecture and create a spatial arrangement akin to Milan’s Cascina’s. Geometrically, the 144 varying sections mirror each country’s percentage of arable land (width) and its distance to Milan (height).

'This countries', owning little arable land, create intricate niches that trigger spatial awareness if their role in the global agricultural production. Visitors become physically immersed in a country’s potential to produce natural foods. Pre-fabricated panels are designed with the potential for future re-use. The heart of the pavilion is conceived as a sea of artificial reeds glowing at night and providing privacy during the day. Information found on the walls of this space is provided by visitors themselves. Information on the outer layers speaks about the countries. The field acts as a space of silence on one hand and a space for global information on the other. Its information walls are fed by real-time data streaming in.