The exhibition developed by facts and fiction for Monaco's pavilion focuses on three main themes: The idea of various projects to help the poorest countries to achieve the eight Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations; governance in the form of support for innovative food companies and the Monaco Blue Initiative, a think-tank to protect vulnerable marine areas; raising awareness through the support of education policy, for example, with the initiative "Mr. Goodfish" which has set sustainable fish consumption as its goal.
Sustainability determines the architectural concept: The 1,010-square-metre pavilion consists of used shipping containers. The exhibition responds to the architecture in the form of goods and boxes resulting in the "Hangar of Ideas". The visitors set off on a free-flow trip over ten thematic islands to discover exactly where and how Monaco has committed itself to many pressing current issues.
As a country that is actually a city, excellence in urban aquaculture is a natural choice for Monaco. The journey through the pavilion starts in the harbor at Monte Carlo where biologists operate the first oyster farm in the Mediterranean Sea. The project shows that high-quality food can even be produced in an urban environment.
A further initiative is presented at another station showing how wood from sustainably managed forests is used in yacht building.
The exhibition also addresses the richness and fragility of the oceans, be it as a fishing game, which entertainingly shows visitors how fish can be consumed sustainably, or by presenting the concept behind marine protected areas in the Mediterranean aimed at preserving the marine environment and biodiversity.
One of the highlights of the exhibition takes the jellyfish invasion in the Mediterranean as its subject. The station resembles a submarine where visitors encounter living jellyfish. They can discover more about this fascinating species on the control deck.
Social balance is at the centre of the stations devoted to the topic of solidarity in relation to achieving the eight Millennium Development Goals. These goals are presented on eight interactive cubes. The support of nearly 400 nomadic families in the Khangai Mountains of Mongolia in relation to environmentally sustainable and economically viable cattle breeding is presented on an interactive "Yak wheel" developed by facts and fiction.
The distribution of fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly stoves in rural Burkina Faso is illustrated by presenting an actual stove in a showcase. An oversized model of a stove is used as a projection surface.
Burkina Faso is also the key to showing how holistically sustainable the concept behind the Monacan Expo pressence is: After the World Expo is over, the pavilion will be shipped to Burkina Faso, one of the poorest regions in the world, and used by the local Red Cross as a regional training centre. We are the official partner of the project at the Expo itself and in this capacity are pleased to be able to lend support to the Monacan Red Cross.