Totems Amsterdam was responsible for two of the national pavilions at Expo 2010 in Shanghai, which opened in May: the Algerian Pavilion and the Cyprus National Pavilion.

The Algerian Pavilion is titled “House of my Fathers,” relating to the general theme of the Expo, which focuses on cities and city life in all scales and forms. The visitor experiences the various aspects of urban life in Algeria throughout three different experiences in the pavilion.

First, visitors are taken through the streets of the traditional North African Casbah, passing by various exhibits. After this walk, visitors receive an idea of the scale and the diversity of the country, which is as large as Western Europe, through a breakthrough immersive experience. Finally the attendees enter a cleaner, minimal space, with arab details, where they are invited to find out more in-depth information about Algeria, through interactive and graphic exhibits.

The Cyprus National Pavilion has as it’s host the Greek God Aphrodite, said to be born from the Cypriot Sea. Through a variety of experiences, from small to very large scale, the visitor travels through the past, present and future of the country, with a focus on stories related to the central theme of the Expo; “Better City, Better Life”

The design and scenography is created as though Aphrodite is giving a tour of a place she regarded as her own. Her country, her home. This is the reason for the architectural character of the pavilion – connecting the voyage of the visitor to Cyprus as the ‘home, or house’ of Aphrodite.