The Serpentine Gallery London – Kensington Gardens

Since 2000, each summer, the Serpentine Gallery annually commissions international architects of worldwide acclaim to design a pavilion on the gallery’s lawn that provides a unique showcase for contemporary architectural practice. The pavilion is host to a

special programme of film screenings, talks, the BBC proms and café. In this way, Serpentine Gallery, is one of the most exiting experiment of temporary architecture

and a great chance for people to meet.

Here is an interesting example:

Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2007 by Olafur Eliasson and Kjetil Thorsen 24 August – 5 November 2007

The Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2007 is designed by the internationally acclaimed artist Olafur

Eliasson and the award-winning Norwegian architect Kjetil Thorsen, of the architectural

practice Snøhetta. This timberclad structure resembles a spinning top and brings a dramatic

vertical dimension to the traditional single-level pavilion. A wide spiralling ramp makes two

complete turns, allowing visitors to ascend from the Gallery lawn to the highest point for views

across Kensington Gardens as well as a bird’s eye view of the chamber below. The pavilion is

supposed to be a "laboratory" for artistic/scientific/public experiments, culminating in a "48-

hour marathon laboratory event exploring the architecture of the senses".

Eliasson’s work usually explores the relationships between individual people and their

surroundings. Famous is his installation in Tate Modern museum called “The weather project”.