On June 11, in Kensington Gardens in London, at the Serpentine Gallery, according to tradition, a pavilion will open, which will become the twentieth building erected here by renowned architects.

Ekaterina Karpukhina

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In 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the opening of the Serpentine Pavilion had to be postponed. Therefore, the Counterspace studio project will open only a year later, on June 11, 2021. Its founder, Sumaya Valli, became the youngest invited architect of the pavilion, taking the championship from Frida Escobedo.

Why do we need the Serpentine Gallery pavilions in London

To design the pavilion, Valli spent four months in London exploring places that were of great importance to migrant communities. So, in her project there were references to several urban places — the districts of Brixton, Hoxton, Hackney, Whitechapel and others. The project also pays homage to structures such as London’s first Fazl Mosque or the East London Mosque.

Valli and the organizers aimed to create a pavilion with a minimum carbon footprint. Therefore, it was built from recycled steel, cork and wood covered with micro-cement. Various textures, shades of pink and brown are taken directly from the architecture of London.

In addition, for the first time in history, the project will go beyond Kensington Gardens — four fragments of the pavilion will also be located in places that inspired the Counterspace studio. These are The New Beacon Books in Finsbury Park, The Tabernacle Community Centre in Notting Hill, The Albany Arts Centre in Deptford and the new Becontree Forever Arts and Culture Centre at Valence Library in Barking and Dagenham.

Like all previous pavilions, it will be completely dismantled at the end of summer. Thanks to its modular design, it can be easily disassembled and reassembled in a new location.

Photo: George Darrell.

Photo: Counterspace; George Darrell

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