No fear: the “GILs”, the best-known puppets of Expo 98, are being collected for a full restoration.
The first to be dismantled was the GIL that is usually placed in Rossio dos Olivais. Over the next few months, all three giant GIL dolls will be recovered by the same team that built them for Expo 98, in an intervention organized by the Parque das Nações Parish Council (JFPN), under the Mandate Delegation Contracts agreed with Lisbon City Council.
Preserving the historical legacy
The official mascot of Expo 98 will be restored as a way of preserving the memory of this landmark event for the country.
According to the JFPN, the dolls will be returned to their original location as soon as possible, completely restored and with a renewed appearance.
GIL was created by painter António Modesto and sculptor Artur Moreira as a stylized drop of water to represent life in the oceans (the theme of Expo 98, “The oceans: a heritage for the future”), while paying homage to Portuguese navigator Gil Eanes.
Throughout the event, which ran from May to September 1998, the GIL mascot quickly became a much-loved symbol for children and adults alike, in an exhibition that attracted more than 10 million visitors to Lisbon, completely transforming the entire eastern part of the capital, in a clear success of urban regeneration that now goes by the name of Parque das Nações.
These generously-sized dolls, measuring around five meters, are made of fiberglass and were displayed in strategic locations in this part of the city.
However, after several years outdoors, their maintenance is imperative, so that they can be restored from their already visible state of disrepair.
But this restoration is more than just aesthetic, it’s a celebration of the historical and cultural impact that that world exhibition brought to our country, having greatly modernized the city while leaving us a unique architectural legacy.
It should also be noted that the GIL did not “die” when the exhibition ended, but became the symbol (and logo) of the Gil Foundation, which still supports children at social and health risk today.