Serpentine Pavilion 2005
Went to the new Serpentine Pavilion yesterday, which was really fantastic. Lovely to see, in contrast to last year's concrete extraveganza, something that responds to the idea of 'pavilion' - lightweight, using undisguised, humble and simple materials (wood and plastic) and touching the ground lightly with a feeling of its impermanence. Siza's reference in the accompanying book to 'Arte Povera' struck a chord, and there certainly was something Rural Studio-ish about it.
I loved the feeling that you could almost make one yourself, with all the elements of a manageable size to be lifted by hand, and its construction method simple and clear to the eye. The Serpentine missed a trick by not making a little wooden scale model that you could put together yourself, with all the dovetail joints, which would have been a huge seller for their shop and maybe really inspirational and fun for kids...
I loved the feeling that you could almost make one yourself, with all the elements of a manageable size to be lifted by hand, and its construction method simple and clear to the eye. The Serpentine missed a trick by not making a little wooden scale model that you could put together yourself, with all the dovetail joints, which would have been a huge seller for their shop and maybe really inspirational and fun for kids...
Comments