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Serpentine Pavilion: 'day-glo chrysalis' opens in London
Latest pavilion by architects SelgasCano praised as most 'playful and unpretentious' in 15 years
This summer's Serpentine Gallery Pavilion – dubbed a "psychedelic labyrinth" by critics – has opened to the public in Kensington Gardens.
The chrysalis of multi-coloured plastic has been designed by Madrid-based architects Jose Selgas and Lucia Cano, who founded the SelgasCano studio in 1998.
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(Image credit: AFP/Getty Images)
"Formed from layers of jazzy plastic fabric and coloured webbing stretched over a framework of interlocking tunnels, it looks as if an exotic caterpillar might have nibbled on a magic mushroom before spinning its chrysalis," wrote Oliver Wainwright at The Guardian when the first images of the structure were released.
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Describing it as a "psychedelic labyrinth", Wainwright said the new pavilion "exudes joy, mischief and a welcome dose of Spanish sunshine", but cautioned that the "devil will be in the detail".
Today, Wainwright says that "architectural purists might sniff at what looks like a kids' funfair maze from the outside – until they're sucked through the wormhole and swallowed inside SelgasCano's trippy womb".
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(Image credit: 2015 Getty Images)
Alice Vincent at the Daily Telegraph explains that the "day-glo chrysalis" has a double-layered shell, made from multi-coloured plastic, that is big enough for visitors to enter and exit from different points and discover a "secret corridor" between the layers.
Its "polygonal, fluid form is fun and inviting", says Ellie Stathaki at Wallpaper, with the translucent multi-coloured fabric membrane panels creating a "stained glass effect" and "playful environment".
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Every year since 2000, the area in front of the Serpentine Gallery has hosted a temporary structure by architects including Oscar Niemeyer, Frank Gehry and Smiljan Radic.
The New York Times says this year is the most "playful and unpretentious" pavilions in its 15-year history and acts as a "jolt of vitamin D against inconstant British skies".
The newspaper adds that it is "as much a reminder of the experimental role that architects play in shaping our environment as it is yet more proof of art's fun-loving side".
The 2015 Serpentine Pavilion by SelgasCano will be on display from 25 June to 18 October at the Serpentine Gallery, Kensington Gardens, London
