A majestic model of Michelangelo’s 16th-century marble statue of David is drawing crowds to the Italian pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.
Visitors queue up and spend time clicking photos and taking videos as the exhibit allows them eye-level access to the copy of the Renaissance masterpiece.
The statue is the star of an exhibition called The Theatre of Memories.
One section has strikingly beautiful hand-painted tiles by Sicilian artists.
Memory is the mother of muses and inspires art. Without memory we have no science and no art is what David symbolises
Davide Rampello,
Italy pavilion
Enshrining memories is critical to inspiring new art, said Davide Rampello, artistic director of the Italy pavilion.
“He [David] is like a witness to the theatre of memories, Mr Rampello told The National.
“Memory is the mother of muses and inspires art.
“Without memory we have no science and no art is what David symbolises.”
Experts said the model is the most advanced reproduction in the world.
In an exhaustive process that included aging the model to replicate cracks and erosion, engineers scanned each microscopic detail of the original marble statue at the Accademia Gallery in Florence before it was 3D printed in Italy.
The decision to use technology to create the model instead of using a plaster cast was part of a laboratory approach to the pavilion.
The pavilion roof is made of three upturned boat hulks that can sail when the World Fair ends and the facade is a curtain of ropes.
It is one of only a few pavilions that does not use air conditioning and relies instead on natural climate control strategies.
Carlo Ratti, co-architect of the Italy pavilion and head of Carlo Ratti Associati, was conscious that all the material used did not end up in landfill after six months when the World Fair ends.
“We tried to explore circularity in architecture. We wanted to experiment so that everything we use here is recyclable or reusable,” he said.
“The ropes that are the facade of the pavilion are made from two million recycled plastic water bottles.
“These were turned into 70 kilometres of rope and then tomorrow the ropes will be reused again.
“So the idea to reuse is very important.”
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Profile of Bitex UAE
Date of launch: November 2018
Founder: Monark Modi
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The specs
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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