Star-shaped Serpentine Pavilion 2024 by Minsuk Cho Opens

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Serpentine opens the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2024 | Archipelagic Void, designed by Seoul-based Korean architect Minsuk Cho and his firm Mass Studies, on Friday 7 June 2024, with Goldman Sachs supporting the annual project for the tenth consecutive year.

Comprised of five ‘islands’, each structure of Archipelagic Void is unique in size, form, name and purpose, providing a dedicated platform for Serpentine’s live programme from June onwards.

To celebrate the opening of the Pavilion, Minsuk Cho will be in conversation with Serpentine Artistic Director Hans Ulrich Obrist on 7 June 2024 to discuss the inspirations behind this year’s Pavilion, Cho’s approach to architecture and the history of the commission.
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Structure
Archipelagic Void is composed of a unique void in the centre surrounded by a series of smaller, adaptable structures located at its periphery. The layout references the madang, or an open courtyard found in traditional Korean houses. 

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Around the void, each structure of this multifaceted Pavilion is envisioned as a “content machine” with a distinct name and purpose, including the Gallery, the Library, the Auditorium, the Tea House and the Play Tower. Assembled, the parts become ten spaces surrounding the void: creating five distinct covered spaces and five open, in-between areas that integrate with the surrounding park and Pavilion activities.

Programme
As the main entrance to the Pavilion, the Gallery plays host to a six-channel sound installation created by musician and composer Jang Young-Gyu, presenting The Willow is <버들은> in the Summer and Moonlight <월정명> in the Autumn. Taking inspiration from the surrounding environment of the Pavilion, Jang incorporates sounds from nature and human activities recorded in Kensington Gardens with traditional Korean vocal music and instruments. The distinctive tones and melodies trace the changing of seasons. The piece responds to the constantly transforming landscape of the Park.

Located to the north of the Pavilion is The Library of Unread Books by artist Heman Chong and archivist Renée Staal. Conceived as an artwork that functions as a ‘living’ reference library, each book has been donated by its previous owner to form a pool of common knowledge. Visitors are welcome to contribute and submit an unread book in their possession to the growing collection. By making these titles accessible, The Library of Unread Books functions as a collective gesture, addressing notions of access and distribution.
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In a nod to the history of the Serpentine building, the Tea House will be located to the east of the Pavilion. Designed by James Grey West, the Serpentine South building opened in 1934 and originally functioned as a teahouse until the early 1960s, before reopening as an art gallery in 1970.

To the west, is the Auditorium, the largest structure of the five ‘islands’. With benches built into its inner walls, the space allows for public gatherings and will feature a programme of performances and talks.

Providing a space for outdoor play, the Pavilion also features the Play Tower, a pyramid structure fitted with a bright orange netscape allowing visitors to climb and interact.
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Minsuk Cho, Architect, Mass Studies, said: “We are honoured and grateful to unveil Archipelagic Void in June. To realise the Pavilion, we began by asking what can be uncovered and added to the Serpentine site, which has already featured over twenty historical iterations at the centre of the lawn, from a roster of great architects and artists. To approach this new chapter differently, instead of viewing it as a carte blanche, we embraced the challenge of considering the many existing peripheral elements while exploring the centre as a void. It also begins to address the history of the Serpentine Pavilion. By inverting the centre as a void, we shift our architectural focus away from the built centre of the past, facilitating new possibilities and narratives.”

Bettina Korek, Chief Executive, and Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director, Serpentine, said: “Mass Studies’s Serpentine pavilion led by Minsuk Cho is another exciting step forward for this singular commission that has pushed the boundaries of creative experimentation with architecture. We’re thrilled that Archipelagic Void will expand on Serpentine’s evolving history as a site for bringing people together in the park, and our continued mission of building bridges between art and audiences. We are deeply grateful to our loyal partners for sustaining the Pavilion each year and look forward to a summer full of experiences made possible by Cho’s brilliant complex for encounters and collaboration.”

This innovative commission, which began in 2000 with Dame Zaha Hadid, has been awarded to some of the most significant names and emerging talents in international architecture. The Pavilion has evolved over the years as a participatory public and artistic platform for the Serpentine’s pioneering, interdisciplinary, community and education programmes.

The Pavilion is supported by Goldman Sachs for the tenth consecutive year.

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Press release and photos courtesy of Serpentine

Photos: ©Iwan Baan

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    Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2024 | Archipelagic Void 0

    Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2024 | Archipelagic Void

    City of London / United Kingdom / 2024