ehk! has had a very pleasant and architectural Saturday this weekend. Stephen and I went to see the Serpentine Pavilion and Summer Houses in Kensington Garden. This year's Serpentine Pavilion was designed by BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group). Made of hundreds of identical fiberglass boxes connected by steel angles, it creates a structure that is elegant and slightly ephemeral. It is an exciting spacial experience, light weight and temporary, and relates well to its surroundings. because the joy of experiencing the structure is in moving through it, it is difficult to photograph, so if you are interested, it is worth watching the Serpentine Gallery's film to get an idea.
For the first time this year, the Serpentine Gallery has also commissioned four architects who are yet to build permanent structures in the UK to design small summer houses inspired by Queen Caroline’s Temple, a classical style summer house, built in 1734, near the gallery. While the pavilions seem somewhat crowded around the 'temple', we really enjoyed two summer houses in particular - Kunle Adeyemi's take on the classical design of the original structure in stone and leatherette, and Asif Khan's offering.
The Serpentine Pavilion can be very hit and miss, and it has been a good while since I enjoyed one as much as I have this one. It is what a temporary commission for an art gallery set in a park should be - light hearted, and inspiring, and plain beautiful. It shows the world what architecture can be, and it is simple enough in its construction to to prove that there is no slight of hand, and architects use very ordinary materials to create magic. As Bjarke Ingels says: 'What architects should really remember is to take human happiness very seriously.'
As if to prove his point, my evening was taken up by an equally fun, interactive installation called 'Home Sweet Home' at the Royal Festival Hall by an organisation called Subject to Change. Marked out on the floor of the foyer was a map of the area around South Bank - landmarks like the Royal Festival Hall itself, Tate Modern and the National Theatre were represented by scale models. To become a member of the community, you could buy a plot of land and a flat pack building (a choice of different houses or a commercial property) for under a Pound. Living and working in London has never felt so affordable! There was a functioning postal service, a radio station entertaining us and broadcasting community events and a council to raise any grievances with. Oh, and there may have been the odd drink or two. Craft materials (scissors, fabric, paint, bits of recycled materials and no end of glitter) were available for home owners to decorate, improve and extend their properties. As we got stuck in with childlike relish, it occurred to me that this is quite literally what most people think we architects do every day - how I wish they were right!
Elisa