Sejima and Nishizawa @ The Serpentine

I am extremely grateful to have visited the last 4 architectural pavilions at the Serpentine Gallery. This time around architect duo Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa from SANAA embrace light and transparency with their design. Describing their structure the architects say:

‘The Pavilion is floating aluminium, drifting freely between the trees like smoke. The reflective canopy undulates across the site, expanding the park and sky. Its appearance changes according to the weather, allowing it to melt into the surroundings. It works as a field of activity with no walls, allowing uninterrupted view across the park and encouraging access from all sides. It is a sheltered extension of the park where people can read, relax and enjoy lovely summer days.’

Sejima and Nishizawa created a Pavilion that resembles a cloud or floating pool of water, sitting atop a series of columns. The metal roof structure varies in height, wrapping itself around the trees in the park, reaching up towards the sky and sweeping down almost to the ground in various places. The last two structures by Gehry and by Olafur Elliason and Kjetil Thorson were a litte more experimential+exciting and if I wanted uniterupted views of the park wouldn't I just walk in the park? It was a sweet pavilion but if you must visit also check out the Jeff Koon art inside the gallery.