The Legacy of Expo 67

Forty years ago, the largest and most successful World's Fair of the 20th century took place in Montreal. Rhona Richman-Kenneally, Chair of Concordia's Department of Design and Computational Arts, recently co-edited a book about the fair, Expo 67: Not Just a Souvenir. Here, she explores the fair's cultural legacy with filmmaker Germaine Ying-Gee Wong, who was a hostess during Expo.

[donmc]

Great video on Expo which brings back fond memories of My 50 visits to Expo when I was 17. My main memory of Expo was the absence of cars and that you could get around by either walking, monorail or train. There were also very long lineups to get into many of the pavilions and many innovative forms of movies: 360, 6 story screens. I played my first computer game there. The only food I could afford was at the Pizza stands. It was a real high to be able to meet people from all over the world and explain Quebec politics to them.

[markcollins]

I was there at 12 years old - drove up from New Jersey with brother and parents

[gcbrown]

I stumbled upon this video by chance - but so glad I did. I grew up in St. Lambert (on Montreal's South Shore) almost literally within seeing distance of the Expo site. In fact, Seaway Park, one of our city's best sports facilities, was just across the channel from Ile Notre Dame, and you often see the park in photos of the Expo site. So close that I would almost bet that you could throw a baseball from our park out over the water and have it land at the foot of the British, French or Quebec pavillions. Well, maybe not, but it was amazing to have such a remarkable world's fair located right next door to your hometown. I was 10 years old that summer, and almost lived at Expo 67. What a magical and exciting place. Even today, when someone mentions 1967 - you can talk all you want about the "Summer of Love" in San Francisco, or the Beatles releasing Sgt. Pepper and indeed all the social upheavals of that time. But for me, that year will always be Expo. This video offers an excellent discussion of Expo's legacy all these years later. Listening to the discussions brings back so many precious memories. Thanks to our friends at Concordia for hosting the discussion and for those who posted it here. 

[mitchsalawine]

Expo 67 happened 3 years before I was born. But I have always had a great fascination with it. It must have been a sight to see! And I'm glad I'm seeing some of it now on YouTube . I want to get a copy of this lady's book, as I'm sure very little of expo is still in existence today.

[christophermorgan]

There was huge open space called Place des Nation where every evening teens and twenties would go to meet and dance to loudspeakers playing the latest tunes. To this day hearing Up UP and away in my Beautiful Balloon or Procal Harum's The Whiter Shade of Pale takes me back to that "groovy" summer of Expo 67!!

[elkiness]

 I went as college student, and it was so exciting--the beauty of the place, so many people from so many places--in the crowds as well as in the pavilions. The art show made a deep impression on me--and I am now a professional artist; in my work the ethnic art and different aesthetics, the idea of the world coming together for a purpose  continue to influence me.  Wow, the new things!--architecture, movies, food. Thank you for the video! If reminds me of so much. 

[elkiness]

"The future's all open"...that was exactly the feeling. I'm sorry nothing was said or shown of Moshe Safdi's Habitat, which fascinated my friends and I--and seemed the future of building--at the time. :-)

[arricammarques]

No mention of the large format projections & multi-media cinemas.

[robertlimestone]

My big memory of the USSR pavilion is of the Soviet hostesses. As stated, all the country's and pavilions had pretty young girls in exciting outfits out in front. The Russians had stout, heavy set babushkas, in drab cotton print dresses you would think came right out of a Soviet dress factory. They wore virtually no makeup, hair pulled back in a bun and flat brown shoes. Smiles were not required of them. Despite all the excitement of Soviet space exploration, real of life for the average person was miserable. I was only 14, but it had a profound impact on me that even at Expo the communist lie was inescapable.

[Xyphactinus]

I was 8. I can never forget that feeling that the world has no limits. Expo 67 shaped Canada to be the modern forward thinking nation it is today. Wong talks too much about herself in particular. I want to hear about Expo 67.

[Jay-vrir]

The professor looks like, President Kennedy's intern girlfriend Mimi, today .