Friday, October 17, 2008

Man and his World of the bizarre

Montreal's World's Fair of 1967, aka, Expo 67, was recycled into an annual event called Man and His World from 1968 to 1981. According to one official guide, the attractions included an LSD pavilion where the New York State pavilion had stood. One day some fools stole the LSD (as indicated in the newspaper clipping below). Here's more descriptions from the official guide:

LSD/Pot:"Drugs in contemporary North American society are the theme of this pavilion on Ile Sainte-Helene. The history of drugs is highlighted and the pavilion's objective is to inform and educate, rather than to preach. In a psychedelic atmosphere created through the use of light, sound, and music, visitors observe displays of hallucinogenic drugs and such administering equipment as syringes and pipes. In one of the cells, visitors participate in a simulated drug 'trip'. Legal, medical, and educational approaches to drug use and misuse are explored."Cryogenics: "... in the last room, a film vividly describes the emotions of a man who awakes sometime in the future after having been frozen for a long period."

Spectrafonia: "Sound becomes visible in this pavilion....a final room, the 'return to calm is provided to help bridge the gap between the experience and the world outside."
Space: ."The visitor is given a look at the future, through scientific data on mars and prototypes of new space vehicles and life support systems. The 'trip through space' culminates in a room of mirrors where images flash around the visitor from all directions to convey psychedelically the infinity of worlds yet to be discovered."

Science Fiction:. "...in the last section, a chill, silent world of metal, the bewildered visitor is directed toward the exit by aluminum robots."
Strange, Strange World: "The strange, yet fascinating phenomena of the universe -- mysteries as bizarre as UFOs, voodoo dolls, and the Loch Ness Monster -- provide a bewitching presentation on the second floor of this pavilion...the unusual is the rule."

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous3:29 pm

    Funny, I don't remember this one. I DO remember one of the theme pavilions being given over to UFOs, with photos of the Roswell alien and such. For a little kid, it was pretty scary.

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  2. Anonymous1:33 am

    Man and His World was so much fun when I was a kid, it was part of the La Ronde & Ile Ste-Helene experience pre-1981. Going to La Ronde just isn't the same without it.

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