Serpentine Pavilion 2010

The design for the 2010 Pavilion is a contrast of lightweight materials and dramatic metal cantilevered structures. The entire design is rendered in a vivid red that, in a play of opposites, contrasts with the green of its park setting. In London the color reflects the iconic British images of traditional telephone boxes, post boxes and London buses.

This year Serpentine Gallery in London invited French architect Jean Nouvel to design this year’s summer pavilion.
After last year’s SANAA’s beautiful intervention that was more about blending in with the surrounding environment, Jean Nouvel’s bold geometric proposal represents completely different approach to architecture.
As architect said, it’s all about contrast. The building consists of quite aggressive geometric forms, large retractable awnings and a freestanding, 12m high sloping wall (what for?!).
Let’s hope this summer will be cool as last year as visitors could fry in this red polycarbonate structure. Not mentioning they might become quite anxious after spending some time in this “vivid red” environment.
I don’t want to be too prejudiced, also, visuals usually don’t show things as they are in reality so I look forward to seeing Nouvel’s proposal this Summer and make up my mind then.
As always the Pavilion will host other events like the 5th Serpentine Gallery Marathon, The Marathon of Maps for the 21 Century. Invited artists, writers, thinkers and scientists will present maps encompassing their experience of the world today.
The Pavilion will also be the location for the Serpentine’s presentation of the renowned French artist Christian Boltanski’s acclaimed installation, Heartbeat.
All sounds really good, hopefully architecture won’t stand in the way of the art experience and will allow the visitors to relax and enjoy their coffee and cake :) (as that’s what this is about too!).

Scattered Light

ROLU and ASDF invite to take part in their project encouraging us to look differently at our surrounding environment and introduce another way interpreting things around us.
If you’d like to take part and respond with your photographs, please read here about how it works.

On Architecture Again

Recently I haven’t been posting much about architecture, not directly, as it really disappoints me.
I look at many different architectural blogs being written around the world and everything I see is the same. The same patterns are being copied and architecture is being reduced to production of exciting or sometimes even bizarre images. Very often theories are being added to those images later, repeating everything that has been said in the 60’ and 70’.
It is rear to see buildings that are honest, responsive and don’t try to shock you with it’s appearance.
There are exceptions, thankfully and here is one of them.
This is something I found among Arno Brandlhuber’s work, I love it!
Worth looking at his other projects and other art and theoretical activities.

Friederike von Rauch

The beauty of imperfection.

More here.

Nicolas Moulin

While reading blgd blog and pruned I came across a new to me French artist Nicolas Moulin.
This series of digitally altered images is my favorite. It shows natural landscapes with imposed architectural elements in distorted scale, creating incredible structures inspired by Italian utopian architecture of the 70’s.
You can find more of his work here.