Each summer, a different world-renowned architect constructs a short-lived immersive pavilion in London’s Kensington Gardens. Serpentine Gallery and its namesake Serpentine Pavilion have tapped the likes of Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid and Ai Weiwei to craft everything from a wave of concrete blocks to a cathedral of wood panels. Now, for the first time, one of those fleeting structures is headed stateside.
A criss-cross of airy rainbow tunnels will make their home at the La Brea Tar Pits this summer. The free pavilion, which will be open for daily visits as well as public events from June 28 to November 24, arrives in L.A. thanks to a collaboration between Second Home, a London-based co-working space with a focus on public programming, and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
Photograph: Courtesy Iwan Baan
Photograph: Courtesy Iwan Baan
The pavilion, which was 2015’s Serpentine selection, comes from architects SelgasCano, the Spanish duo of José Selgas and Lucía Cano. Its 886-square-foot chrysalis-like design features a mix of translucent plastic walls and fabric ribbons; put it all together and you’ve got a set of woozy walkways filled with reflective surfaces and rainbow-tinted shadows.
Venture into its cavernous but bright center and you’ll find an open space set aside for free public programming, including a slate of public talks, musical performances and film screenings. “The Pavilion will be a space for diverse communities and ideas to come together, and we can’t wait to welcome everyone in,” says Rohan Silva, co-founder and co-CEO of Second Home. So far, collaborators include BBC radio host Giles Peterson, online screening service MUBI and the Goldhirsh Foundation, in support of its aspirational, city-shaping LA2050 initiative.
Photograph: Courtesy Iwan Baan
Photograph: Courtesy Iwan Baan
Of all the Serpentine Pavilions that Second Home could’ve chosen to bring to L.A., it’s no coincidence they procured the one from SelgasCano: The firm is also designing Second Home’s first U.S. location, bound for East Hollywood later this year. The tree-filled, rooftop-dotted campus is expected to house offices for 250 organizations, as well as an on-site restaurant, a bookshop and an auditorium for curated events—all of which will be open to the public.
The Second Home Serpentine Pavilion by SelgasCano at La Brea Tar Pits—please, somebody coin a nickname right now—will be open daily from 6am to 10pm, with a programming schedule to be announced in the coming months. You’ll find it in the green space (5801 Wilshire Blvd) between LACMA and the La Brea Tar Pits (where you’ll find $15 flat rate parking, though we suggest looking for free or metered parking along 6th Street first).
Photograph: Courtesy Iwan Baan