smiljan radic to design 2014 serpentine pavilion

smiljan radic to design 2014 serpentine pavilion
image © 2014 smiljan radic studio

chilean architect smiljan radic has been announced as the fourteenth designer to create a temporary pavilion outside london’s renowned serpentine gallery. opening in june, the plans illustrate a semi-translucent, cylindrical structure perched on large quarry stones, occupying a 500 square meter footprint on the institution’s lawn.

the design is envisioned as a flexible and multi-purpose social space that also houses a café. during its four month stay in the park, visitors will be encouraged to interact with the pavilion through a variety of different events. on selected friday evenings, the structure will form a stage for the galleries’ park nights series, with eight site-specific functions bringing together art, poetry, music, film, literature and theory. the program will introduce three new commissions by emerging artists lina lapelyte, hannah perry and heather phillipson.

the design is envisioned as a flexible and multi-purpose social space that also houses a café
image © 2014 smiljan radic studio

having completed the majority of his projects in his native chile, smiljan radic’s work is typified through the detailed consideration of social conditions and environments and an instinctive understanding of materiality.

‘the serpentine 2014 pavilion is part of the history of small romantic constructions seen in parks or large gardens, the so-called follies, which were hugely popular from the end of the 16th century to the start of the 19th. externally, the visitor will see a fragile shell suspended on large quarry stones. this shell, white, translucent and made of fibreglass, will house an interior organized around an empty patio, from where the natural setting will appear lower, giving the sensation that the entire volume is floating. at night, thanks to the semi-transparency of the shell, the amber tinted light will attract the attention of passers-by like lamps attracting moths,’ explained radic.

‘we are thrilled that smiljan radic has designed the pavilion this year. we have been intrigued by his work ever since our first encounter with him at the venice architecture biennale 2011. radic is a key protagonist of an amazing architectural explosion in chile. while enigmatically archaic, in the tradition of romantic follies, radic’s designs for the pavilion also look excitingly futuristic, appearing like an alien space pod that has come to rest on a neolithic site. we cannot wait to see his pavilion installed on the serpentine gallery’s lawn this summer,’ commented julia peyton-jones, director, and hans ulrich obrist, co-director of the serpentine galleries.

the serpentine pavilion will be open to the public between thursday, 26th june 2014 and sunday, 19th october 2014.

on selected friday evenings, the structure will form a stage for the galleries’ park nights series
image © 2014 smiljan radic studio