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For 25 years, the Serpentine Pavilion has been an enduring sign that summer is finally here. You’ve lived through nine months of damp, cold misery, but that temporary structure in the middle of London’s chicest park signals that your washing might actually dry before it starts smelling of mould. And to celebrate its 25th anniversary, the Serpentine has just announced that this summer’s pavilion (named ‘A Capsule in Time’) will be designed by Bangladeshi architect Marina Tabassum and her firm, Marina Tabassum Architects (MTA).
The renders of the proposed pavilion show four wooden capsules with translucent façades that filter and diffuse summer sunlight. One of the capsules is being described as ‘kinetic’ because it’s moveable, meaning the space it creates can be shifted and changed. The structure takes inspiration from the park itself, but also the history and architectural language of Shamiyana tents or awnings of South Asia.
Betina Korek and Hans Ulrich Obrist, big bosses at The Serpentine, said ‘“A Capsule in Time” will honour connections with the Earth and celebrate the spirit of community. Built around a mature tree at the centre of the structure, Tabassum’s design will bring the park inside the Pavilion.’ Quite why you would put a building in a park and then try to put the park inside the building is anyone’s guess, but hey, at least summer’s on the way.
Marina Tabassum’s Pavilion will be unveiled to the public at Serpentine South on Jun 6. More details here.
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