Thailand Pavilion's 360-degree show. 

Boats are floating, one filled with fresh flowers, the other carrying a supply of meatballs, white noodles, or sen lek, fish sauce, chilli powder and sugar. Next to that is a rice paddy, which looks about a month old. 

This is neither Ratchaburi's floating market nor somewhere in rural Thailand. This is the Thailand Pavilion at the 2015 World Expo in Milan, Italy, which opened last month and will run until the end of October. The expo is one of the world's largest international shows and is more than 150 years old. 

Under the helm of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Thailand's pavilion echoes the expo's concept of "Feeding The Planet, Energy For Life", which concerns the world's rising population and efforts to stave off world hunger. 

The roof's structure was inspired by the shape of ngob, a Thai farmer's sun- and rain-beating hat, representing local knowledge passed on from generation to generation. The shape of the pavilion's mirror-covered building was inspired by the serrated base of a pagoda. Five naga heads, symbolising an abundance of water and the fertility of Thai agriculture, adorn the front of the pavilion. 

While queuing up before entering the pavilion, shows are put on to not only entertain but also to give visitors a glimpse of Thai culture. Next to the simulated floating market and rice paddy, a muay Thai demonstration is staged, accompanied by energising Thai traditional drums and flute. 

Like many pavilions, the first zone is about introducing the country to an international audience. Entitled "Golden Land", the auditorium, with 3D holograms and 360-degree projection, takes the audience through scenes of Thailand's abundance of nature, agriculture and food production, showing how Thailand could potentially be one of the world's top resources for food. 

The next zone serves as an introduction Thailand's standard food production processing, with a special projection technique which includes the olfactory aspect — the scent of lemongrass was puffed into the room when the story of tom yum goong was presented. This section is very much relevant to the pavilion shop before exit as there are Thai ready-to-go, ready-to-cook, and ready-to-eat products on sale, from Thai fruit juice, frozen green curry, frozen mango with sweet sticky rice to ready-to-cook phad Thai sets. 

The highlight of Thailand's pavilion is the last section, "King Of Agriculture". The 10-minute video in a theatre takes audiences, via special effects, through the story of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's various royal projects, from vetiver grass, which prevents landslides, to dams and cloud seeding, which have all contributed to the Thai agricultural industry. 

The Thailand Pavilion's architecture was inspired by a ngob, a type of hat worn by Thai farmers.  

 

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