#PUBLIC ARCHITECTURE PROJECTS
OPENING OF SMILJAN RADIĆ’S SERPENTINE PAVILION 2014
The Serpentine Gallery's 14th temporary pavilion opens its doors in London
Generally speaking, architecture represents a certain permanence, something solid and iconic. Nothing is forever, but buildings grow roots in the world that seem weighty or difficult to dig up. Some architects have explored the possibilities of temporary architecture (think Shigeru Ban’s paper church in Taiwan), and even the now-ubiquitous pop-up shop becomes a form of temporary architecture. But for the past fourteen years the Serpentine Gallery has made an event of the idea.
Since 2000, the London-based gallery has invited a different international architect each year to create a temporary icon in Kensington Gardens. This year, Chilean architect Smiljan Radić created a smooth, stone-like structure based on his work titled The Castle of the Selfish Giant - a studio model inspired by the Oscar Wilde story – and his Restaurant Mestizo.
The white fiberglass shell rests on large quarry stones. When illuminated, the translucent skin glows brightly, giving passersby the impression that it is floating – a foreign body come to rest on ancient stones.
For four months, the structure will serve as a multifunctional space that reunites art, poetry, music, film, literature and theory, welcoming visitors with a program of artistic events and exhibitions. On October 19th, 2014, the structure will disappear, an ephemeral presence that leaves only an impression in its wake.
