Over the centuries, our Nordic weather and natural environment have taught us to rely on one another. To live and thrive in these conditions, we need each other – we trust, we collaborate. The patterns we observe in nature reflect the spirit of the Nordics: schooling fish, flocking birds, herds of reindeer – all moving as one, yet each an individual. There is no single leader, only a shared sense of direction. 

We found this idea echoed in the Japanese concept of Ensō – a circle that represents everything and nothing at once, endlessly in motion. This swirling form became the heart of our exhibition: Nordic Circle

WORLD EXPOLYMPICS 2025 - GOLD

ICONAWARDS 2025 - GOLD

GERMAN DESIGN AWARD 2026 - NOMINATED

THE BUILDING: DESIGNED BY MICHELE DE LUCCHI AND AMDL CIRCLE · BUILT BY RIMOND · A 1,200 SQ. M, 17-METER-TALL STRUCTURE

THE WHIRL: THE 85-METER-LONG, SWIRLING CENTERPIECE THE WHIRL CONSISTS OF 700 SHEETS OF JAPANESE PAPER — 100 OF WHICH ARE PHOTOGRAPHS CAPTURING EVERYDAY LIFE ACROSS THE NORDIC COUNTRIES.

THE PAPER SURFACE SPANS 275 SQ. M

RIGGING: CIRCLE SHAPED TRUSS SYSTEM · 980 WIRES WITH A COMBINED LENGTH OF 3,180 METERS · STEEL PROFILES EXTENDING OVER 1,092 METERS · ENTIRE STRUCTURE WEIGHS 1,723 KGS.

FILM: 6 LARGE VIDEO PROJECTORS PLACED IN THE RIG BRING THE MANY SHEETS OF PAPER TO LIFE WITH MOVING IMAGES · 2 ICELANDIC COMPOSERS HAVE CREATED A BEAUTIFUL COMPOSITION THAT PORTRAYS THE PASSAGE OF THE YEAR IN THE NORDIC REGION THROUGH ALL 4 SEASONS

THE LANDSCAPES: THE SURROUNDING ‘LANDSCAPES’ CONTAIN9 INTEGRATED SCREENS, EACH PRESENTING NARRATIVES THAT HIGHLIGHT OUR TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS AND WAY OF LIFE

PROTOTYPING: BEFORE INSTALLATION IN THE PAVILION IN OSAKA, JAPAN, A FULL-SCALE PROTOTYPE WAS ASSEMBLED AND TESTED IN ZURICH, SWITZERLAND EXPO 2025 OSAKA AND THE EXHIBITION NORDIC CIRCLE OPENED ON 13 APRIL 2025

DESIGN: KVORNING, RINTALA EGGERTSSON ARCHITECTS, AND GAGARIN

PRODUCTION / INSTALLATION: EXPONEX, WINTENEX, AND HABEGGER

CLIENT: INNOVATION NORWAY

LOCATION / YEAR: OSAKA JAPAN / 2025

PHOTOS: DAICI ANO AND FRANTIŠEK BÍLEK