A week after its opening, the “EXCHANGE Pavilion” is an eye-catching installation with shaded seating for visitors to Balboa Park. The translucent orange structure in front of the San Diego Museum of Art will remain in San Diego until Nov. 15. A planned stint in Tijuana has been canceled.
The temporary structure is one of the big projects associated with San Diego and Tijuana being declared the World Design Capital (WDC) in 2024. Tijuana visual artist Daniel Ruanova designed the pavilion with Heleo Architecture. Its bright orange color reflects the branding of WDC 2024.
Ruanova reimagined the border walls dividing Tijuana and San Diego with this structure that splits apart and comes together so people can walk freely inside and outside of this “no man’s land.” On LED ticker tape, cross border poetry cycles through the edges of the structure. The installation is meant to promote unity and connection. As part of the structure’s purpose, a series of panels and lectures will take place in the pavilion on select Wednesday and Thursday evenings in September and October on topics like the future of the Convoy District, youth defining the region’s global identity, and Dia de Muertos. Most of the time though, the structure sits in the Plaza de Panama with people walking through and around it as well as partaking in the free, shaded seating.
“The EXCHANGE Pavilion invites us to connect with people, provoking dialogue, creativity, human connection, and the exchange of our collective experiences,” said Mai Nguyen, Board Chair of WDC 2024 and Director of UC San Diego Design Lab. “A representation of the significance of WDC 2024 to the region, this installation will serve as a bridge, connecting people from various backgrounds, inspiring conversations, and fostering a sense of unity.”
The structure was fabricated in Tijuana with recyclable steel and repurposed plastic. Spanning 3,554 square-feet and standing 16 feet tall, the radical structure has a modular framework that can be easily assembled and disassembled. These efforts are part of the focus on sustainability and responsible environmentalism during WDC.
For more information on upcoming events at the pavilion, visit wdc2024.org.
Discussion about this post