The first official presentation of the candidature of Poland for
the General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE)
was held on Tuesday at the Palais de Congres. The 45-minute
performance was directed by Jaroslaw Szoda and Boleslaw Pawica,
acclaimed video clip directors.
As befits winners of multiple short film festivals, the
presentation, in the form of a a mini-performance, was attended by
official representatives, Mr. Rafal Dutkiewicz, Mayor of Wroclaw, as
well as five amateur actors.
The performance began in the auditorium. When the lights faded at
first nothing happened, then mobile phones started to ring among the
audience and, to the audience's surprise, students taking part in the
presentation picked them up telling the imaginary callers how they
plan to spend the evening. The audience's curiosity heightened when
five amateur actors appeared on stage. Further on, a hot debate on the
problem of leisure time was stirred up by a TV programme. The
conversation smoothly led to the topic of preparing EXPO on leisure
time and the opportunities of spending it in Poland.
Next, official representatives of Poland appeared. They presented
a series of arguments for Poland as a perfect exhibition site. Mayor
Dutkiewicz spoke about Wroclaw's strong points, Economy Viceminister
Andrzej Kaczmarek talked about EXPO's development benefits for Poland
and the region and underlined the importance of the exhibition from
the economic viewpoint. The Minister of Culture and National Heritage,
Mr. Kazimierz M. Ujazdowski, pointed out that Polish culture had its
roots in various traditions, which was why Poland should organize a
display on the subject. He also highlighted the fact that Wroclaw, as
a multicultural city where different cultures have intertwined
throughout the ages, was a perfect exhibition site for the purpose.
A speech by Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski was aired
towards the end of the official presentation. He underlined the role
of Poland as the initiator of political and economic transformation in
Central Europe and suggested that our country would be a perfect place
for experience sharing that could spearhead cultural and economic
change and help level worldwide differences.
At the end of the presentation, the actors left the stage and
reappeared...on the screen, where they were shown in an EXPO 2012
virtual world. The multimedial performance by the young actors was
awarded with thunderous applause.
