Fair
Related: world - exhibition
Instances: the Great Exhibition (1851 UK world fair) - Exposition Universelle (1889, Paris) - Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (1925, France)
'World exhibitions were places of pilgrimage to the fetish commodity'. --Walter Benjamin, Arcades Project (1927 - 1940)
If the commodity was a fetish, then Grandville was the tribal sorcerer. --Walter Benjamin, Arcades Project (1927 - 1940)
World's Fair
World's Fair is the generic name for various large expositions held since the mid 19th century. The official sanctioning body is the Bureau International des Expositions or BIE.
Of the BIE approved fairs, there are universal, and international or specialized, lasting from 3 to 6 months in duration. In addition, countries can hold their own 'fair', 'exposition', 'exhibition', without BIE endorsement. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World's_Fair [Oct 2004]
Brussels World Fair
1958 Varese Poeme Electronique was played over 400 loudspeakers at the Phillips Pavillion of the 1958 Brussels World Fair.
The Atomium is a monument in the Heysel Park in Brussels. It is a steel construction, consisting of 9 spheres representing an iron crystal magnified 150 billion times.
The Atomium was built for the Expo '58, the World's Fair in Brussels in 1958. Designed by the architect André Waterkeyn, it was originally meant to last only 6 months.
The monument has a total height of 103 meters. The spheres, which have a diameter of 18 meters, are connected by escalators. Three of the upper spheres have no vertical support, and so for safety reasons are not open to the public. In the top sphere one can enjoy a panoramic view of the city of Brussels through the windows, and in the other spheres there are several exhibitions.
Much-needed renovation work was started in March 2004. The Atomium will be closed for the public between October 2004 and January 2006. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomium [Oct 2004]
your Amazon recommendations