My favorite color is Red. Those were the words of Marcelo when interviewed on Pirouette Blog last week (thank you Pirouette for the post!). Architect Jean Nouvel might have heard my son…
The new Serpentine Gallery Pavilion in London’s Hyde Park was unveiled this morning, entirely and strikingly RED, conceived by world-renowned architect Mr Nouvel. Red like the Big Red London Buses. Red like the all-over town British mailboxes. Red like those abandoned telephone cabins. Such a contrast to the Greens of the park.
I would normally recommend to pay a visit to the Serpentine Gallery whenever in town with the kids, because the exhibitions of modern art are usually worth the trip, and it’s set in the middle of Hyde Park. But right now, the Jean Nouvel pavilion is a destination-factor in itself. With only six-months from the invitation by the Serpentine to the completion of the project, Nouvel has imagined a bold contrast of lightweight materials and dramatic metal structures.
Around the pavilion, the architect has created spaces for outdoor enjoyment and play. There are red tennis tables (I caught him playing this morning, see the first photo above!), red fat boy headmocks to lounge on, draughts, chess, frisbees and even kites available for the public all throughout the summer months. Absolutely everything is Red, even the Smeg fridge behind the counter. An easy way to explain to the children what being a purist stands for. And what attention to details really means…
Past October 10th 2010, the pavilion will be dismounted, suffering the same faith as the 9th previous pavilions from other renowned architects (Frank Gerhy, Zaha Hadid…). An ephemeral but tremendous project, not to be missed.
