Each year, the Serpentine Galleries commissions an international designer to build a temporary pavilion that hosts several events and family-friendly activities. This Friday, the Serpentine Pavilion 2023—designed by French-Lebanese architect Lina Ghotmeh—will be open to the public in London’s Kensington Gardens through Oct. 29.
This year’s pavilion takes its name, “À table,” from a French call to action for individuals to break bread together and enter lively discussions. Ghotmeh was inspired to give the pavilion this title because of her Mediterranean heritage and recollection of open dialogues about politics, current affairs, and personal stories throughout her life. This love for conversation and her cultural heritage were realized in the pavilion’s interior where a large circular table along the perimeter is meant to foster and celebration communication between visitors. Nearby, the pavilion’s café features Mediterranean-inspired dishes made with local ingredients and seasonal food items.
The pavilion was built primarily using sustainable and low-carbon materials, allowing Ghotmeh to convey a focus on sustainability and an effort to design spaces that respect their surrounding environment. “The form of the Pavilion responds to the shape of the park’s tree canopies,” a description on the Serpentine Galleries website says. “Internal wooden beams that encircle the perimeter of the structure emerge as thin tree trunks and the fretwork panels that sit between the beams feature plant-like cut out patterns, aiding ventilation and allowing natural light to come in. The Pavilion’s pleated roof is inspired by the structure of a palm leaf, while the lightwell in the middle furthers the space’s integration with its setting. The modest, low roof takes inspiration from togunas: structures found in Mali, West Africa, that are traditionally used for community gatherings to discuss current issues, and also offer shade and relief from heat. The low-lying roofs of these structures encourage people to remain seated peacefully and take pause throughout discussions.”
A new soundscape, created by the Paris-based artist and composer Tarek Atoui, fills the pavilion with music inspired by Ghotmeh’s original sketches of the building. The pavilion, which was built as a modular system, will be dismantled and moved to a yet-to-be-announced location upon its closing in the fall.
