Nordic Pavilion, EXPO 2025 Osaka
Osaka, Japan
At the Nordic Pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka, visitors are invited on a calm, reflective journey through the landscapes, people and values of the Nordic region. Gagarín was one of the creative partners behind the exhibition concept and led the media design, contributing immersive storytelling and digital experiences that celebrate how five nations, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, work together towards a green future in one of the most integrated regions in the world.
The exhibition explores the deep-rooted values that bind the Nordic countries: trust, collaboration, and a strong connection to nature: The Nordic Circle.
In addition to Gagarín, the winning design team consisted of design studio Kvorning and Rintala Eggertsson Architects. The project was led by production partner Exponex, with Wintenex and Habegger managing production and AV.
Nature as a Metaphor
How do you design one pavilion for five different countries? The answer lay in nature itself. Inspired by flocks of birds, schools of fish and herds of reindeer. A collective system where individuals move together without a single leader. The exhibition took shape around a shared idea: The Nordic Circle. This concept was further connected to the Japanese Enso symbol, representing openness, connection, and infinity.
This idea of interdependence and unity is physically represented in the circular, whirling motion of the kinetic façade and echoed in the main exhibition hall—visually reinforcing how the Nordic countries move as one while honouring individual uniqueness.
Collective systems in which individuals move together without a single leader: The Nordic Circle.
A Taste of the North
Before entering the pavilion, guests are offered a ‘Nordic Tasting Menu’—an interactive 360° phone experience that lets visitors look into our region through their own screen. This first layer introduces them to our landscapes, societies and curious facts in a playful and personal way.
Queue experience 'Tasting Menu' of the Nordics.
Welcoming as Equals
Inside, the pace slows. Children’s voices in the five Nordic languages and Japanese greet visitors, establishing a tone of equality and openness. Gentle visuals of flocking birds set the atmosphere and lead guests into the main hall.
The Circle of Trust
At the heart of the exhibition floats a sculptural work made from 700 suspended paper sheets—an artwork that captures the rhythm of Nordic life. Gagarín produced a 20-minute visual projection, The Circle of Trust, which plays out across the four seasons. Projected imagery shows how we live, move, connect, and coexist in harmony with nature and each other. The Icelandic composers Sindri Már Sigfússon (Sin Fang) and Kjartan Hólm created a custom score that flows in sync with the visual storytelling.
Interactive Stories
Nine interactive animations, designed and developed by Gagarín, dive deeper into how the Nordic model works. From green innovation and digital collaboration to social trust. Using playful visuals and natural textures, the content is designed to be both engaging and accessible, while still addressing complex societal themes. The stories use earthy textures to connect to our nature and energetic blue particles to visualise energy. Each piece poses a question; visitors trigger the answers by stepping into place.
The paper centrepiece was assembled over a week, suspended from nearly 1000 cables, and built from translucent recycled and rice paper, stretching 85 meters and weighing only 1700 kg.
Nordic Pavilion, designed by AMDL CIRCLE and developed in its engineering aspects by Rimond, represents the model of sustainability and innovation of the Nordic countries on the occasion of Expo 2025 Osaka. The 1200 m², 17 meter high space hosts a large exhibition area, a panoramic terrace with restaurant, spaces for meetings and a business centre. The Sugi wood pavilion has the form of a large barn, an expression of functional simplicity and harmony with nature.
The Gagarin design team journeyed to Zurich to test a projection designed for the Nordic Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka with other partners from the design team. The curated art installation captures the poetic shifts of seasons and the powerful natural phenomena that define the Nordic landscape.
About EXPO 2025 Osaka
The World Expo in Osaka, Japan runs until October 2025 and brings together countries from around the world to share ideas, culture, and innovation under the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.” Held on Yumeshima Island, the Expo welcomes around 80,000 guests per day and expects to receive over 28 million visitors throughout its seven-month run.
Photos: Daici Ano / Franisek Bilek
Architecture photos: AMDL CIRCLE