Summer Mayhem @ Serpentine

Its that time of year again. The Sun is out. That's with a capital S, to stress that when the sun is here, London celebrates. Regent Park holds food tasting carnivals, the Glastonbury festival begins, Somerset house screens outdoor movies at night, everywhere you look people are dressed to the minimal sitting outside pubs and stoops and tanning in the park. Even galleries tailor their programs to the sun, including the Serpentine Gallery in the heart of Hyde Park which commissions renowned architects to design their summer pavilion.

The Serpentine's architectural pavillion program is the most ambitious project of its kind. The pavillion usually contains a cafe and audotiruim where performances, talks, films and screenings can take place through out the summer.

In '06 it was designed by Koolhass and Cecil Balmond (jelly fish bubble design) where I went to see Muicha Prada discuss her latest projects with Koolhass. In '08 it was designed by Frank Gehry (will post pics soon as I need to hunt for them in my messy hard drive) and in '07 the pavillion was designed by Olafur Elliason and Kjetil Thorsen. Here are some of my images of the pavillion. It was so hard to photograph because were so many angles, terraces, balconies, and ramps but I tried my best.

A lil bit about the design: This timberclad structure resembles a spinning top and brings a dramatic vertical dimension to the traditional single-level pavilion. A wide spiralling ramp makes two complete turns, allowing visitors to ascend from the Gallery lawn to the highest point for views across Kensington Gardens as well as a bird’s eye view of the chamber below.