Designed by Pritzker laureates Herzog & de Meuron and Chinese artist Ai Wei Wei, the 2012 Serpentine Pavilion officially opened to the public this month, the twelth in a series of pavilions to grace Kensington Gardens. Ai Wei Wei was conspicuously absent from the opening, currently barred from travelling outside his native China, and was represented by a pre-recorded video message in which he elaborated on the work’s conceptual “archaeology”. “We focused on memory and the past,” the artist stated, “We made a study to dig into the meaning of this total act and from that a very interesting result came out, which I think gives this pavilion a new meaning.”

The new pavilion is an understated affair with the majority of the design receding below ground beneath a giant mirrored circular pool. A subterranean amphitheatre of sorts sits nestled within, with its steps facing a stage where the press convened for the proceedings. Herzog & de Meuron expressed pleasure with the finished pavilion, with the former explaining that the structure’s subdued presence was intentional. “We are in a beautiful park, and you don’t want here an object that’s crying, ’Look, I’m the pavilion of 2012.’”

Source - Architizer

Jack Smylie