The pavilion of happiness

Construction of a temporary pavilion, in the spirit of 1958 but with 2008 materials and to meet 2008 expectations. The architectural brief for the V+ studio (“For More Wellbeing”) was to build a temporary pavilion to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Brussels Universal Exhibition. This would house film shows and exhibitions open to the general public and telling the story of earlier universal expos. While the contents of the pavilion are intended to provoke questions, 50 years on, about the concepts of progress, universalism and happiness which were the flagship themes of international exhibitions in those days, the container needs to take its place in the lineage of buildings whose architecture successfully conveyed the questions asked in their day. 

 

Without a doubt, the stuffed elephant is the best-known exhibit in Expo 58 at the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren. But there’s so much more on offer: ethnographic objects, plants, ores, works of art and lots of stuffed animals that were on display during the Brussels World Fair in 1958 – the original Expo 58 – are now part of the Museum’s collections. During the World Fair no fewer than seven pavilions were devoted to Belgian Congo. Thanks to its expertise and extensive collections, the Museum has been involved in the development of some of these pavilions. What’s more, the Congolese participants in the World Fair were received in Tervuren, in a new building specially constructed for the occasion: the CAPA building, or Centre d’accueil pour le personnel africain. Rediscover Expo 58 at the Royal Museum for Central Africa. With unique film excerpts, critical interviews and a wealth of photographs, this exhibition offers a new and exciting perspective of the ’58 Brussels World Fair.