Peter Zumthor: Serpentine Gallery Pavilion finished
Peter Zumthor - Serpentine Gallery Pavilion
The 11th Serpentine Gallery Pavilion has been designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor and after a whole host of work from design to completion, the pavilion is now finished and soon to be open to the public. The current addition to the annual series, established by gallery director Julia Peyton-Jones, joins the repertoire of commissions which includes structures created by Frank Gehry, Jean Nouvel, and SANAA. The project was funded through contributions by dedicated sponsors.
The pavilion will now be set to be the backdrop for a host of summer talks and events from July 1 to October 16, 2011.
Peter Zumthor - Serpentine Gallery Pavilion
This work fulfills Zumthor’s vision of ‘Hortus Conclusus’, an endeavor which focuses upon a synthesized experience between architecture and vegetation. The pavilion is constructed with a lightweight timber frame and then wrapped with scrim and coated with a black paste-and-sand mixture. Traveling through a matrix of dark hallways with intermittent streams of natural light, the material gestures visitors attention away from the bustling city and towards the secluded intimate interior.
Peter Zumthor - Serpentine Gallery Pavilion
On entering the hidden central space, the open roof over the garden illuminates the courtyard while seating around the perimeter of the vegetation offers onlookers a beautiful, serene view. The pavilion’s enclosed pleasure garden is an unprecedented joint initiative with Dutch designer Piet Oudolf.
Peter Zumthor - Serpentine Gallery Pavilion
The carefully chosen flora and forma produces an array of colours, fragrances and textures which consume the individuals corporeal senses. In the amazing wetaer that accompanied the opening today there was also some fantastic wildlife, attracting butterflies and bees into the space, this unexpected encounter with nature redirects contemplation skyward creating a meditative atmosphere.
Peter Zumthor - Serpentine Gallery Pavilion
Peter Zumthor - Serpentine Gallery Pavilion
Visit Peter Zumthor’s Seprentine Gallery Pavilion installation from 1 July – 16 October 2011 www.serpentinegallery.org
