Korea in World Expos... n°2 - Paris 1900

It's not the first time I will talk about the World Expo 1900 in Paris, if you remember this first article : http://expo2012-yeosu-korea.blogspot.fr/search/label/Expo%201900

Emperor of Korea, in 1900

In first, more precisions about Expo 1900 and the pavilion of Korea :

This event proposes to make the balance of the past century.
At the heart of Paris, this expo has welcomed nearly 51 million visitors on 110 hectares meets hundreds of pavilions and palaces, the Invalides to the Champ de Mars, to the banks of the Seine and the Trocadero slopes.
Electricity was there queen and had his palace.
Major accomplishments, such as the Pont Alexandre III, the Grand Palais and Petit Palais still exist today.


This is the first time that Korea, empire of 13 million inhabitants, presents its own pavilion.
Located along the Avenue de Suffren, on side of Champ-de-Mars, its execution was entrusted to a French architect, Mr. Ferret.

Plan of the Official Korean pavilion, for the Imperial Government of Korea.

The General Commissioner of the pavilion, Count Mimerel shows many collections of products to hope for a bright future in industrial Korea.

The General Commissioner count Mimerel and the Assistant General Commissioner and architect Mr. Ferret.

The products of agriculture are exposed, and those of domestic industries, such as silks, fabrics embroidered with gold and silver, ceramics, wine and perfume, lacquers, and fruit teas are also represented.

Korean pavilion at 1900 World Expo Paris - Artistic drawing, unfortunaterly, colors are not the good ones, and there were no trees like that in this part of the Expo !

Now, I will show the Korean pavilion of Expo 1900 in the 3D project, and how it was rebuilt for the film.
Here's the first steps of the 3D modeling :

The furniture inside the house are just to make the filling, if the inside is just visible in the final 3D animation. There is not much documentation and photos on these elements.

The little house on the right is the office of the Commissioner General of the Korea exhibition.

I love these pictures show modeling without the textures. They allow to understand the forms of architecture pavilion.

Korea in World Expos... n°1 - Chicago 1893

A few days ago, I showed the first steps of modeling about the Korean pavilion in the first participation of this country in a World Expo, at Chicago in 1893.

Here's a few more images of the texturing step :

and the final images which come from the 3D film : 

Belgium pavilion... men at work

As you can see with these new photos about work in the Belgian pavilion, Merry-go-rounds are almost finished !

Kumdori - EXPO'93

Remember, 19 years before Expo 2012 Yeosu... that was in 1993, the first Expo in Korea : Taejŏn Expo '93
Yeony and Suny meet Kumdori, the Expo'93 mascot !

Pavilion of Thailand

It's working well... here's a photo of the Thai pavilion, we start to see the final aspect, construction done at 95%... I will have much success I guess !

Yeosu, Pavilion of Thailand - April 7, 2012

Countdown to Yeosu Expo begins

Less than a month remains until the Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea opens on May 12. The largest-scale marine-themed international event in history, it is expected to attract an estimated 8 million people during its three-month run.

The final stage of on-site construction has begun, with several exhibitions now open for demonstrations. Sky Tower, the Expo’s highest structure and also the loudest pipe organ in the world, has already begun to capture the attention of startled visitors with the rumble of the boat horn that comes daily from its chambers. Also open for previews is the Marine Civilization Pavilion, one of four sub-theme pavilions, where visitors can walk through an underwater world and learn about the history and future of marine-based civilizations.

The Marine Civilization Pavilion invites visitors to walk through a life-size recreation of a shipwreck (photo: Weekly Gonggam).

“The hardware of the pavilion is complete, so we are now working to perfect the content inside,” said Kim Jong-gwan of Dyne Construction, the company that has overseen the construction of the Marine Civilization Pavilion. “We have recreated the scene of a shipwreck using holograms, floor-to-ceiling projection screens, video displays, and various replicas that offer visitors both enjoyment and experiential learning.”

Nearby, at the Big-O performance and entertainment zone, the finishing touches are being added to the Big-O, one of the most prominent landmarks on the Expo grounds. Standing over the water, the O-shaped structure with a 35-meter diameter will be the site for laser shows, fountain shows, pyrotechnical shows, and various other multimedia shows incorporating the latest IT innovations.

Over 150 performers will participate in the Expo's main marine-themed parade (photo: Weekly Gonggam).

Once the Expo opens, a wide variety of performances will be taking place on land as well. The streets of the Expo grounds will be crowded with over 100 performances per day, prepared for the entertainment of visitors waiting in lines. Over 150 performers, including members from performance groups such as France’s Water Opera and the American team’s Ocean Blast Fever, will also take place in the Expo’s main marine-themed parade.

The International Pavilion, which covers the largest area of the Expo grounds, will also see completion soon. The three-story venue, three times bigger than Seoul’s COEX Convention Center and twelve times bigger than the Expo’s theme pavilions, will feature exhibitions by over 100 participating countries. Designed to look like islands floating in a misty sea, the building includes a multicultural space where visitors can taste and purchase foods from different countries, as well as an observation deck offering views of the Expo and a panoramic stretch of Korean coast.

The International Pavilion will feature exhibitions by over 100 participating countries (photo: Weekly Gonggam).

As the final preparations for the Expo get underway, anticipation and curiosity about the event has continued to grow. Registration for a May 5 preview event received 60,000 responses within three days and downed the Expo server for a short period of time. Although the Expo committee planned to keep registration for the 110,000 preview spots open until May 4, an early sell-out is likely. The tickets are 3,000 won, and all proceeds go to UNICEF.

The flurry of activity at Yeosu has also received growing attention overseas. In local waters, Japan’s two largest tourism associations have begun official promotion of travel packages to Yeosu.

“Most travelers to Korea have focused on places like Seoul and Gyeongju, so not many people are familiar with Yeosu,” said Kim Jeong-su, the Expo’s overseas marketing chief. “We hope that the Expo will be an occasion to vitalize international tourism in the entire southern coastal region.”

A multimedia show complete with a water screen and pyrotechnics will be one of the highlights of the Big-O entertinament zone (photo: Weekly Gonggam).

Another key component of preparations is transportation. To prepare for the influx of visitors, the Expo area has been newly equipped with a traffic control center and the entire metropolitan area has seen the extension of existing transportation routes and expansion of roads and tunnels connecting the Expo site to local terminals. An onsite parking lot features six separate lots with a total capacity of 33,000 cars, and free shuttle bus services will be provided from the lots to the Expo site.

More information on Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea can be found at http://eng.expo2012.kr/main.html (English, Korean, French, Chinese, Japanese).

Adapted from Weekly Gonggam
Translated by Kwon Jungyun, Korea.net Staff Writer

Some news from the USA pavilion...

At first view, the construction of the USA pavilion has good progression...
There's a few photos from Andrew Snowhite, CEO of USA Pavilion.

To learn more, you can join the USA pavilion Facebook page :

Korea in World Expos... n°1 - Chicago 1893

In this year 2012, Korea is proud to organize for the second time an international expo, which opens its door in one month, May 12th!

After Taejon in 1993, it was to Yeosu to host this event in the beautiful coastal area of southern countries.

But history of Korea in Expos is much older. It begins in 1893, in Chicago.

I suggest you follow the realization of this reconstruction 3D project, which reflects well the great and rich history of Korea in World Expos.

Chicago 1893
The World Columbian Exposition.

This expo 1893 celebrates the fourth centenary of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus.
Located in Jackson Park on the shores of Lake Michigan, it received more than 27 million visitors from May to October 1893.

This World Expo is best known for his architectural achievements, the White City, and for its Ferris Wheel in the entertainment area of Midway Pleasance.

The Ferris wheel, 264 feet high.

This Expo would allow Korea to promote its identity, to be heard in an international environment and create links with Western nations.

The Korean exhibition, between Colombia and Ecuador, was located in the largest palace, the Manufactures and Liberal Arts.

Palace of Manufactures and Liberal Arts.

The stand at the open structure is inspired by Korean construction. There are traditional clothing, military, guns, pipes, korean musical instruments, and a wide variety of household goods.

First step of realization of the 3D structure of the Korea pavilion.

The photos of this korean pavilion at the Exposition of 1893 are very rare, so there are few sources of reference.

The pavilion is filled with objects presented, which were visible on some photographic reference.

The pavilion in the environment of the Palace of Manufactures and Liberal Arts. These elements are placed to serve as a credible background, this kind of photographic view would have been of considerable assistance.

3D modeling is completed, the next step is the texturing of the different elements.

BIE Exhibition in 3D

If you want to learn more about Expo history, you can visit the BIE travelling exhibition held in Astana... but this time, in 3D experience :