Marko Dabrović, architect in charge of the Croatian pavilion , was kind enough to send me pictures of the interactive floor installed at the Expo 2005 in Japan.

The pavilion is based on the theme of salt pans (fields where salt is produced). After having crossed a corridor, visitors walking on the floor produce waves, and the impression to be immersed in an underwater world is increased by the audio landscape composed by Vjeran Salamon. The interactive floor has been designed by Ivan Marusic Klif using five IR illuminators, three IR cameras and four projectors.

After crossing the field visitors find themselves on a large platform that lifts them above the “floor of the sea” to the first floor with the sound of bubbles. During the lifting, the scene is transformed into a bright sunny day (light design Branko Cvjeticanin) in the white fields of saltworks and sounds change to recreate an atmosphere of light wind and Mediterranean insects. Virtual kite starts to fly around and people spread arround galery.

Then lights dim gradually and the salt pan is turned into a giant screen for a film about Croatia by Vinko Bresan.

At the exit, visitors are offered a grain of salt symbolizing a grain of wisdom.