Lebanese Architect Lina Ghotmeh Brings a Piece of the Mediterranean to the Serpentine Summer Pavilion
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
LONDON — This summer members of the public will be able to have a seat at Lina Ghotmeh’s table in Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, where she’s built the 22nd Serpentine Summer Pavilion.
Her pavilion design is called “À table,” which means “come to the table,” which is open until October, coinciding with Frieze week, which has become a magnet for fashion designers keen to align themselves with the world of fine art.
More from WWD
The project has been supported by Goldman Sachs for the ninth consecutive year.
“There is such enthusiasm as the pavilion’s opening draws near and an occasion to provide a space for people to simply enjoy, stroll and meet while discussing on the difficulties of today to spur the necessary change,” said Ghotmeh, a Lebanese-born, Paris-based architect.
“The pavilion rises as a wooden structure in keeping with the natural surroundings, inviting us to sit around exquisitely crafted stools and tables and take in the surroundings. Collaborating with The Conran Shop to create the tables and chairs I envisaged for the pavilion has been fantastic on this occasion. The pavilion serves as a place of meeting, togetherness, conviviality and joy, and the furniture serves as its focal point,” she added.
The pavilion is much more than just an art piece for the architect, but a subtle nod to her Mediterranean roots.
Ghotmeh added that the atmosphere is “reminiscent of toguna huts of the Dogon people in Mali, West Africa, designed to bring all members of a community together in discussion. Here we can eat, work, play, meet, talk, rethink and decide.”
The structure is built with bio-sourced and low-carbon materials, designed to minimize its environmental impact, in line with Serpentine’s sustainability policy. Materials include sustainably sourced timber ribs that will be arranged to support a suspended, pleated roof.
The structure is meant to endure, and can be disassembled and reassembled.
The pavilion will serve as a platform for Serpentine’s programs, including live music, poetry, spoken word and dance. It will also host the Serpentine’s education and civic activations.
Ghotmeh’s projects include the Estonian National Museum; the Réalimenter Masséna wooden tower in Paris, which is dedicated to sustainable food culture; and Ateliers Hermès in Normandy, France, a passive, low-carbon building filled with workshops.
Ghotmeh is actively involved in academia, and has lectured in institutions worldwide. She is the Louis I Khan 2021 visiting professor at Yale School of Architecture; and Gehry Chair 2021–22 at the University of Toronto, Canada.
Best of WWD
