Sevilla held a World’s Fair type World’s Fair type Expo in 1992 and then had no idea what to do with their exposition halls. What follows is a photo story, with minor narration, of what has happened with the grounds of the Expo ’92 in Sevilla.
This is the sight you see as you enter the old fairgrounds after crossing the Puente de la Barqueta.
In a rather ironic naming the Pavilion of the Future is now overrun with weeds and left empty. The large patch of grasses that run in front of the building was originally a waterway.
A large portion of the area has recently been turned into an office park where every building is at least somewhat interesting.
I don’t know exactly what this is supposed to be but it really looked like it should just get up and walk away.
By this point it was obvious that this area had picked up slightly in recent times but still seemed deserted.
So apparently we went to Disney World!
It was amazing because having walked for quite a large area we had seen very little in terms of life. Some of the buildings looked like they had recently been cleaned up for use but some looked like they have not been maintained in quite a few years. I started to get the feeling I was in the future walking around some city that had fallen into disrepair like in many Science Fiction Movies.
We came up on the other end of the Pavilion of the Future and if this is not the backdrop for a Science Fiction movie I have no idea what is. Look they even have a rocket!
It is not often you walk down the street and see a nice pair of shoes just sitting there. With the background of the Pavilion of the Future and the fences I took this picture thinking I could write a movie and this would be the perfect promotional poster. I really think this may be the best picture I have ever taken because it so captures the feeling of the moment.
One part of the Expo was turned into a contemporary art museum and this is looking out from the grounds.
Again, great promotional poster for a sci-fi movie.
But the real question is why was this built in the first place? It sits next to a road in front of a giant field with seemingly no purpose.
Look a giant round building that looks like it should be some futuristic government.
The Expo was amazing to walk through because it showed what happens when a large event is built with no plan for the future use of the buildings. I think this was one of the most educational parts of the entire trip and it was for the wrong reason. I should have been thinking how interesting and unique all these buildings were but instead I was thinking how deserted and inhuman this place felt. This is by far my longest post for the amount of time spent at a place and I think that has to do with that of all the things I think about this trip the few hours I spent walking around the old grounds of Expo ’92 always seems to pop up as one of the most vivid memories that I hope to never forget it because as soon as I do I know that I will become a significantly worse architect.
Tags: Sevilla, World's Fair