Afternoon:
10°c
It is described as being like a reflective cloud. Or possibly a floating pool of water. And given the torrents of rain overnight, the pool analogy certainly seemed more appropriate.
This is the first view of the new Serpentine summer pavilion, the gallery's annual commission which introduces the work of architects never before seen in London to the capital.
The structure was designed this summer by Sanaa, the practice of Japanese architects Kazuyo Sejima, 53, and Ryue Nishizawa, 43, following last year's “exploding timber” construction by Frank Gehry.
In a statement, the duo said the canopy “undulated across the site, drifting between the trees like smoke”. Any walls are transparent so views of Hyde Park are uninterrupted.
The pavilion will be open free to the general public from Sunday until 18 October and will host a café during the day as well as evening talks, performances, parties and a poetry marathon. The project was funded by sponsorship with up to 40 per cent of the cost being raised by the eventual sale of the structure through Knight Frank estate agents.
Julia Peyton-Jones, the Serpentine's director, would not say how much it cost but admitted they had set a lower budget than in the boom years, when the pavilion budget hit £1 million.
“Despite the challenging economic situation internationally, this project has continued when many other architectural projects have been cancelled,” she said, paying tribute to her trustees for having the guts not to back out.
Last year's summer pavilion was the fourth best-attended design exhibition in the world, according to The Art Newspaper.
The gallery's annual summer party, which doubles as fund-raiser and formal pavilion opening, is tomorrow. Guests including Damien Hirst, Thandie Newton, Jade and Bianca Jagger and Russian gallerist Dasha Zhukova are expected to brave the elements.
