I’ve posted on Expo 67 before but it’s so good I thought it was time to bring it up again for the uninitiated. Alamedinfo has what looks like the full collection of Expo67 postcards from the Montreal World’s Fair. I will never get over this style, it’s just so perfectly executed. It says a lot about the spirit of an age when they had such fanciful visions of the future. Of course, it could be that very kind of irrational exuberance that landed us where we’re at now — and it’s probably a good thing given way to a more pragmatic vision — but it’s still nice to look back and smile. Link
Expo 67 Full Collection
05.21.2009
Amazing! We need more creativity and vision like this. As your work (and many others) testifies, these concepts have enormous ongoing value. Much can be gained from an exploration of the past.
“Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere.”
-Carl Sagan
wow, these are awesome. but the Santa’s Village cards are friggin great/creepy.
Hi, great postcards. I’ve been enjoying your blog for a while now. I thought you might be interested in a sound collage I produced in 2007 called Expo 67 – A Radiophonic Collage. Conceived and created by Ian Helliwell it is made up of his extensive Expo archive recordings. He also has a very impressive visual archive too. You can find out all about Ian and hear the audio collage at his website http://www.ianhelliwell.co.uk/expo.html
My friend lives in the building pictured in the 4th card – I must say… it’s a pretty unorthodox apartment!
What ever happened to the World’s fair and Expos like this ? I loved that projection of what the future might look like. This expo 67 looks a little like Epcot center. Pretty neat architecture.
Good to see Expo 67 come up again 🙂
Almost all of the series were great!
This reminds me a lot of Paolo Soleri’s town of Arcosanti.
I love these kinds of experimental, large-scale towns
I was in Montreal last summer and was surprised at how much of Expo 67 was still around. As @Jo says, people still live in Habitat 67, the cubed building in the 4th card.
@E-Dub – The world fairs / expos are still happening. I was lucky enough to be in Hannover for Expo 2000 and would encourage anyone who has the chance to go to one. (It didn’t hurt my feelings that the Expo 2000’s sound was written by Kraftwerk.)
The next big expo is in China next year… Then South Korea in 2012.
Not sure if you know about this yet, but the whole set of islands where the fair took place are almost completely artificial, they used the rubble from when they dug all over the city to build the metro. You can notice it in the first card, look at the perfect angle of the “coast” (can’t find a better word – I’m a frenchie).
Right now they are couple buildings still there:
– the Biosphere is now a science museum for families (ex-USA pavilion – a huge spherical structure which was covered by Plexiglas panels that caught fire, apparently it looked like a HUGE fireball for the few minutes it burned)
– the casino and it’s extension, both pretty much untouched, but were connected together about 10 years ago (Québec + France pavilions, they are literally next to each other, it’s pretty funny)
– habitat 67 (“cube apartments”)
I’m sure all of that is on wikipedia anyway though… probably worded better too.. ah!
There’s something about this that makes me think of EPCOT at Walt Disney World. I suppose it’s the whole concept of a permanent Expo/World’s Fair that drove the original idea of EPCOT.
I really wish this sort of architecture were more popular and affordable, at least in the Southeastern U.S.
You forgot the best one!
http://www.alamedainfo.com/expo_67_Federal_Republic_of_Germany_Pavilion.jpg
If the link doesn’t work then google german pavilion expo 67
I used to have an Expo67 t-shirt. sigh* does anyone know where i can find some of these old shirts?