Serpentine Pavilion Intervention
London, 2013
As a one-off intervention United Visual Artists transformed Sou Fujimoto’s summer pavilion at London’s Serpentine Gallery, bringing the cloud-like structure to life with a simulated electrical storm
By interweaving a bespoke lighting system through the pavilion’s intricate steel latticework, strands of light animate to replicate forks of lightning. Combined with sound reminiscent of the static and buzz of a Tesla coil, a natural phenomenon is emulated through technology, implying a sense of danger and drama of being inside an unpredictably erupting storm.
With this performative intervention, UVA aim to respond to the architecture by making it “breathe”, awakening a character and energy, seemingly from within. For this piece, the studio reference their past works which, similar to Fujimoto’s, rely on geometric foundations and interests.
