Portugal Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka

At Expo 2025 Osaka, Portugal didn’t just present a pavilion — it invited the world into an experience shaped by the Ocean.
Under the theme “Ocean – The Blue Dialogue,” Portugal invited the world to dive into centuries of discovery — and imagine a sustainable future shaped by the Ocean.
In partnership with MUSE – Museums & Expos, Unloop created immersive installations, interactive apps, inclusive solutions and digital experiences that transformed storytelling into emotion. From 16th-century maps and Namban art to sustainable ocean innovation, every detail flowed together in a seamless narrative of connection.

The ocean is not just a theme — it’s the protagonist. From the earliest explorers to current innovators, Portugal’s identity has always been shaped by the Ocean. Together with MUSE – Museums & Expos we developed an experience where the Ocean itself becomes the narrator, guiding visitors through centuries of discovery, cultural exchange, and environmental responsibility. Each element — from the soundscape to the architecture — was designed to evoke emotion, reflection, and dialogue.

How do you make millions of visitors feel the Ocean’s voice? The challenge was to bridge heritage and technology, transforming historical narratives into a living, responsive experience. The project demanded not just storytelling — but emotional architecture. A space that feels alive, responding to presence, movement, and curiosity.

Portugal’s story begins with the Ocean — and in Osaka, it met Japan again, 500 years later.
The first exhibition room takes visitors on an adventure through this shared history: from the first maps connecting the two nations to the cultural and scientific exchanges that shaped both countries.
Interactive islands, projections over floating ribbon, and dynamic soundscape set the tone for a journey across time — where history becomes experience.

Here ancient maps come alive, revealing Portugal’s role as a pioneer of global cartography.
From the Cantino Planisphere (1502) to the Lázaro Luís Atlas (1563) — the first to depict Japan — visitors see how Portugal once mapped the unknown and united the world through the idea of one ocean.
Dynamic projections transform these maps into living archives, connecting knowledge across centuries.

The Namban screens — Japanese masterpieces depicting first contact with Portuguese explorers — are brought to life through animation.

Visitors witness a moment when two worlds met, exchanged ideas, languages, and dreams — all carried by the same Ocean breeze.
A living dialogue of curiosity and respect, still echoing today.

This island dives deep into Portugal’s commitment to Ocean conservation.

Here visitors are invited to explore marine protected areas, biodiversity, and the nation’s expansion of its continental shelf — accompanied by projection guided by playful seal through showing the beauty of an underwater world.

A gentle reminder that the Ocean’s health depends on our shared responsibility to protect it.

From satellites and drones to offshore energy platforms and the ROV Luso exploring the depths, this isle celebrates innovation, renewable energy, and ocean science.

A projection on the ribbon follows a giant hand — Portugal’s symbol of care and curiosity — as it descends through the ocean’s layers.

A visual dialogue between humanity and the ocean — both powerful, both fragile.

In the Pavilion’s second immersive room, visitors step into a 360º immersive projection — a cinema environment that envelops them from all directions. Unloop was commissioned to create an imperceptibly integrated interactive layer that reacts in real time to the presence and movement of each visitor. These dynamic effects transform the environment into a living canvas, fully incorporated with the story being projected and designed to respond, surprise, and interact — not as an add-on, but as part of the experience itself.

Unloop recreated the Portugal Pavilion interior in the Virtual Expo Yumeshima Islands in the Sky — a 3D digital world where visitors could explore Expo 2025 Osaka as digital avatars anytime from anywhere.
Visitors could personalize their avatars with ocean-inspired attire — shimmering sardine-scale patterns, sea-star accessories, and translucent sleeves that flowed like fish tails in motion. A subtle digital tribute to the elegance and vitality of the ocean.

An award-winning exhibition that welcomed over 2 million visitors in six months, won Gold for Best Thematic Concept and Bronze in Best Exterior Architecture and Presentation at the international World Expolympics competition, organised by the Experiential Design Authority (TEDA).
For Unloop, it was more than a project. We don’t just design interactive systems — we craft emotional architecture: creating spaces that stay with you long after you’ve left, experiences that don’t end when the screen fades to black, and stories that remind us of one simple truth:
The Ocean doesn’t separate us — it connects us.

CREATIVE DIRECTION – Helder da Rocha Pereira
ART DIRECTION & DESIGN – Arina Zhumasheva
3D PRODUCTION – Nazariy Voloshchuk, Joana Vieira
MOTION DESIGN & VFX – Adrian Soto, Beatriz Sales, Duarte Carvalho
DEVELOPMENT – Maurício Ferreira
INSTALLATION & SUPPORT – Fernando Madaleno