In London the Serpentine Pavilion 2024 is an “archipelago”

One of the most anticipated annual events in the world of architecture kicks off on June 7th: the Serpentine Pavilion opens, located as always in the greenery of Kensington Gardens in London. For this 23rd edition, the Korean architect based in Seoul Minsuk Cho and his studio Mass Studies have designed the temporary structure of the Serpentine Gallery, which will remain open to visitors until 27 October. THE SERPENTINE PAVILION 2024 OPENS IN LONDON With the title Archipelagic Void, the pavilion was conceived as an archipelago articulated around an empty space. Each of its five “islands” has a different function: the Gallery, located at the entrance, hosts a six-channel sound installation created by composer Jang Young-Gyu, which will vary depending on the seasons. A second space, The Library of Unread Books, was entrusted to the artist Heman Chong and the archivist Renée Staal: located to the north of the structure, it invites the public to donate a book from their library that has still been read. To the east, we find the Tea House, a tribute to the history of the Serpentine Gallery building, designed by James Gray West and opened in 1934 as a tea room. Then there is a pyramidal structure that can be “climbed” by visitors and which takes the title of Gaming Tower. Finally, the largest space, the Auditorium, is a place for meeting and sharing open to all.THE PROJECT BY ARCHITECT MINSUK CHO“To create the Pavilion”, declared Minsuk Cho, “we started by asking ourselves what could be discovered and what could be added to the Serpentine”, an iconic site which in the past has seen the collaboration of over twenty of the most illustrious architects and artists of our time. “To approach this new chapter differently,” continues Cho, “instead of treating it as a blank slate, we accepted the challenge of considering the many existing peripheral elements, and instead exploring the center as a void.” Thus an “inverted” effect is obtained, thanks to which “we shift our architectural attention away from the built center of the past, facilitating new possibilities and narratives”, concludes the author. Exactly ten years ago, Minsuk Cho was co-curator of the national pavilion with which Korea wins the Golden Lion at the Venice Architecture Biennale, directed by Rem Koolhaas.[Immagine in apertura: Serpentine Pavilion 2024, Archipelagic Void, designed by Minsuk Cho, Mass Studies © Mass Studies Photo: Iwan Baan Courtesy: Serpentine]