Curated by Davide Rampello and designed by Michele de Lucchi, Pavilion Zero provides an introduction to the Expo Milano 2015 Site. Pavilion Zero takes the visitor on an extraordinary and captivating journey to explore how much humankind has produced, the transformation of natural landscape, and the culture and rituals of food consumption.
Pavilion Zero offers a travel experience into the earth’s crust, via caves that have been rebuilt in almost total darkness, where at the center there is the “valley of civilization”. “The crust is our landscape, our sphere of life, the goal of all possible safeguards, the most tender and delicate. The crust of the hills, the mountains, the plains, covered in moss that produces forest and vegetation, grass and trees, colors, and fragrant fresh air.
When its there we realize what it’s worth and how much we need it. Fortunately nature is stronger than men and we can only hope that it takes over and at the end will decide what is right and what is wrong, who is to survive and what will die – unless of course it is the whole human race.
The crust is our environment, our landscape and our stage where we outplay our preferred roles. It deserves to be in most important museum of the earth, however it does not yet exist and will never exist because there can never be a museum so important, and in any case I hope that will never become a museum, but rather remain always more beautiful and available to everyone” says Michele De Lucchi.
“We wanted to tell a story which begins from the earliest period of human history, through symbols and myths, the different stages of evolution and man’s relationship with Nature – the domestication of animals and plants, and the introduction of tools to work the land and conserve food. The story ends with the current paradox regarding nutrition. A fascinating journey that turns a universal story into an individual one” says Davide Rampello.
Location: Milan, Italy
Architect: Michele De Lucchi
Project Team: Angelo Micheli, Marcello Biffi, Agnieszka Drews, Silvia Figini, Francesco Faccin
Structures: Favero & Milan Ingegneria
Curator: Davide Rampello
Area: 17,840 sqm
Year: 2015