serpentine gallery | B3 Designers

13/07

Serpentine Pavilion 2010

For the Serpentine’s 40th Anniversary the gallery commissioned renowned French architect Jean Nouvel to design its 10th annual pavilion. Following the tradition of experimentation associated with the Serpentine Pavilions, Nouvel designed a dramatic and daring red structure that contrasts lightweight materials with metal cantilevers. Large awnings and sloped walls in geometric forms provide the framework for glass, polycarbonate and fabric infills that create an interesting play between interior and exterior spaces. The structure is multifunctional, operating as a public space, cafe and an auditorium that will accommodate the Serpentine Gallery Park Nights. The design playfully incorporates traditional French outdoor tennis-tables.

The program has a unique model, giving the designer a maximum of six months for the entire process – from commission to completion, but with no budget restriction. Nouvel approached this project with the same conceptual rigour associated with his work so far and designed a dynamic pavilion for Londoners to enjoy for the summer.

(Images are by Philippe Ruault)

29/01

Design Real at Serpentine Gallery

Design Real is the first design-focused show to be presented at the Serpentine and represents the development of the Gallery’s long-standing commitment to design through the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion programme, which celebrates its tenth year in 2010. Design Real is curated by Konstantin Grcic and designed in collaboration with Alex Rich and Jürg Lehni. The exhibition features an information space which expands on themes developed in the exhibition allowing visitors to investigate the origins and applications of the products on view. A dedicated internet site, designed by Alex Rich and Jürg Lehni, is the exhibition’s central resource and integral to its concept. Grcic says about the exhibition:

Like contemporary art, design both shapes and reflects our constantly changing society. Good design understands human behaviour, offers pragmatic solutions to problems and enhances our everyday experience. Curating the Serpentine Gallery’s first design related exhibition DESIGN REAL my concept focuses on ‘real’ items, industrially made products that have a significance in everyday life,

The exhibition is still on til 7th February. A catalogue (designed by Alex Rich) is published on the occasion of the exhibition DESIGN REAL by Serpentine Gallery and Koenig Books Ltd. featuring essays by Emily King and Jonathan Olivares.

01_781

02_756 03_755

04_754

11/08

Serpentine Gallery Pavilion by SANAA

Here some pictures of this year’s Serpentine Gallery Pavilion in Kensington Gardens, London, designed by Japanese designers SANAA. The surrounding park is reflected in the temporary structure’s aluminium roof, which is shaped to curve around trees on the site and varies in height. Curved walls made of transparent acrylic surround a cafe and auditorium under this canopy.

The pavilion will remain in place until 18 October. A program of events called Park Nights will be hosted in the auditorium including performances, talks and screenings, and culminating in the Serpentine Gallery Poetry Marathon in October.

Photographs are by Luke Hayes