Pavilion As An Architecture of New Placeness - A Case of Serpentine Pavilion Project
Pavilion As An Architecture of New Placeness - A Case of Serpentine Pavilion Project
Pavilion As An Architecture of New Placeness - A Case of Serpentine Pavilion Project
To cite this article: Hyejin Jung & Soram Park (2022): Pavilion as an architecture of new
placeness : a case of Serpentine Pavilion project, Journal of Asian Architecture and Building
Engineering, DOI: 10.1080/13467581.2021.2024197
1. Introduction
spatial reproduction of a particular thought and
Held annually, the Serpentine Gallery’s Pavilion institution ironically stems from its temporary nat
Project presents artwork that illustrates a materialis ure. The definition of a pavilion is a “light temporary
tic way of expressing new ideas, despite being con or semipermanent structure in the garden”.
structed as a temporary structure in the museum’s According to this definition, the main attributes of
space. The contemporary pavilion seems to have the pavilion are lightness and temporality. If the
established itself as a symbolic work to declare the monument is a structure fixed to the ground with
identity of the architect and the agenda of contem a ceremonial spirit that yearns for eternity, the
porary urban architecture. Pavilion began to appear pavilion is a tent built for a short time on a field
in the architectural discourse when the exhibit hall where certain valid experiences are held during
constructed as a political and cultural exhibit for specific moments. In other words, if a monument
world fairs popularized in the 19th century and is built to permanently preserve a particular spirit,
was named pavilion. Through the exhibitions’ pavi the pavilion is a surface spread out to relish events
lion, architects of the time presented new technol of relatively momentary experiences and percep
ogies and forms symbolizing their culture. tions. In this light, the pavilion has the potential
Modernists later used it as a model to demonstrate to become an architectural form that exposes the
their own architectural solutions or the architect’s historical limitations of discourse on place, which is
biography (Dodds 2005). Dodds (2005) and Samson based on the permanence from poetic dwelling and
(2016) highlighted its theoretical role, focusing on location of construction and universality (Heidegger
exhibition constructions such as the Barcelona 1971). This study is based on the interpretive and
Pavilion. Their studies also showed that the pavilion critical qualitative approach which relies on gather
was essentially a reflection of the constructional ing cases and references about the phenomenon or
form of wandering and nomadic cultures, the oppo literature in hand. This approach was done by col
site of settlement. From this, we reveal that it is an lating, analyzing and interpreting data to reach
architectural form expressing modern places based acceptable generalizations. Therefore, this study
on mobility and nomadic culture that existing the argues that the pavilion, as a special temporary
ories of place based on fixed settlements cannot architectural form, can be used as the foundation
explain. However, the role of the pavilion as a of modern discourse on place. To this end, we trace
CONTACT Soram Park [email protected] 103 Dong 103 Ho. 27, Gwanak-ro 30-gil, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Zipcode: 07031
© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group on behalf of the Architectural Institute of Japan, Architectural Institute of Korea and
Architectural Society of China.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits
unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
2 H. JUNG AND S. PARK
the changes in the concept of place at the dawn of the modern urban architecture landscape, distinct
the modern era and investigate how the Serpentine from the historical landscape, changed the perception
Pavilion, as a historical one and a modern artwork, of the place where it took root and the architectural
reflects contemporary understandings of place. space it was representing. Notably, Relph (1976,) and
We argue that modern universal architectural spaces Shultz (2019) declared that modern urban architecture,
result from “placelessness.” Moreover, they are new sites characterized by “an open and fluid vast space that
that enable us to discover the conditions of a “new causes a loss of a sense of direction, a weakening of the
place” that reflects modern life and thoughts. symbolism of façade, and a weakening of regional
differences,” is a space of “Placelessness.” The modern
space is difficult to provide the experience of the tradi
2. From rooted place for dwelling to floating tional “location” due to its tendency to pursue univers
space for events ality and technological rationality, replacing regionality
and history.
The tendency to emphasize the “place” as part of an Interestingly, modern architects agonized over the
act of reflecting on modernity stems from Heidegger, format of expressing modernity, which is the reason for
who realized the existence of modern people. The “placelessness” in a symbolic way. S. Giedion, in parti
place is understood as “the material background and cular, believed in the necessity of monumentality in
specific location where humans build social relation modern architecture and demanded the reintroduc
ships and have a subjective and emotional attachment tion of symbolism into architecture in a way different
to.” (Cresswell 2013). In other words, the place is a way from that of the past.
in which humans exist in relation to the world and As modernists who rejected the foundation and
refers to their existence itself, including the existence corrupted ornament of the past looking for a stable
being granted meaning or expressing it. form that would maintain the new values of the time,
This concept of the place emphasizes “rooting Cenotaph for Newton (1784) by Etienne-Louis Boullée,
down” in contrast to a sedentary agricultural life Barcelona Pavilion (1929) by Ludwig Mies van der
and a wandering nomadic one and argues that the Rohe, and others played the role of messengers of
place is the spatial construction of the continuous the symbolic values despite their temporary quality.
time of the sedentary life. Citing Hölderlin’s verse, Since transportation technology has become com
“Human beings live on the earth monplace in the modern age, lands and regions have
poetically.”(Heidegger 2000). Heidegger considered become fragmented and the scope of urban life has
the combination of the place of dwelling and its been greatly expanded, depriving the proximity of the
meaning to be its essence. The Greek temple that former era; however, at the same time, it has recon
he used as an example reveals the nature of the nected things that had been disconnected and were
place, which had been concealed by the construction far apart, bringing back a different sense of proximity-
of a particular site and by it “standing there.” remoteness. This has revitalized the regional impor
According to Heidegger, Das In-Sein is already an tance and accelerated the speed of globalization. In a
entity that “resides” and cannot be separated from global modern society where communities in varying
the site it is located in, thus establishing its own places can be formed and dismantled by electronic
space. Dasein can become an open and creative network technology, individuals can “select” a place
being through art because the essence of artwork is without a connection to existing places or commu
a phenomenon of truth weaved by concealing and nities. Even if there is a place where the community
revealing. In other words, Dasein earns its location, or and the place are equivalent, the place is experienced
place in the world by building its own reproduction. differently for each member (Massey 1994).
The spatial experience associated with a particular From the perspective of viewing nomadic dwelling
spirit formed through a relationship with nature pro in its essence, the state of fixating the place is rather
vides a figure to the location through a boundary and special and exceptional. From this point of view, a
threshold. In addition, the building as a whole inte home is the basis for discovering and occupying the
grated into the act of building is a container that surrounding environment – it is more of a boundary
collects through the object–body fourfold through rather than a place and an act of producing differences
its relationship with nature and is simultaneously a (Dal Co 1990).
“place of dwelling.” Heidegger viewed the architec Francesco Dal Co saw that the solidarity of the
tural space, integrating construction and reproduc “dwelling–home–place” was dismantled by the de-
tion as a “place” through the equivalence of the mythologization of the dwelling. He also saw that all
building–dwelling. the roots and the “loss of home” outside of the dwell
However, as the internationalist style and urban ing were the essence of life. He believed that the
design ideologies based on modernism were universa essential character of a home lies in wandering as an
lized along with the emergence of an industrial society, indispensable alternative to establishing a dwelling.
JOURNAL OF ASIAN ARCHITECTURE AND BUILDING ENGINEERING 3
The modern way of existence continues to perceive framework of temporary boundaries,” and the work is
the place as a production of an event, rather than a understood to reflect non-configuration and tempor
revelation of something that permanently exists (Rubio ality as a movement/process (Kwon 2004).
2004). Defining dwelling and location as a continuous Additionally, post-industrial theorists focus on the
production of individual events is to understand the trends of deformation and non-materialization of the
binary oppositional relationship between settlement material world by electronic media. Virtual experiences
and wandering as a noncontrastive relation. An event through the media and simulation deprives the experi
refers to the act of establishing a place and to trans ence of tactile integration from phenomenological
form a universal and permanent place into a separate, bodies. Simulacre, as a reproduction, is not a real
transient form of occupancy (Derrida 1986). With the experience and questions the authenticity of the
emphasis on location as a production of events, the place (Baudrillard 1992).
uniqueness of the physical site and the importance of Such critical responses to the loss of the place of
fixed forms show a tendency to fade. modernism seem to emphasize the focus on ideologi
The efforts to establish the unique symbol of the cal places and their de-materialization. At the same
modern civilization drive-by transportation technology time, however, values such as originality and author
and mass industrial production aim to overcome the ship strayed from the object and leaned toward the
force of gravity and thus regard the act of “taking root” location. Although recent place-oriented works may
at a place as a loss of uniqueness and peculiarity. The seem to have lost the material basis of the place due
ideal expressed by Claude-Nicolas Ledoux’s spherical to trends such as emphasis on events and perfor
house, which first appeared in the 18th century, was a mances, and de-objectifying and de-spacing, artworks
denial of constructive foundation that had been con always seem to be combined with the exhibition site.
strained by gravity. The anti-constructive foundation In addition, the concept of the event as a regenerative
and simultaneity enabled by amplified mobility action of the place itself and a resistance to the already
brought freedom and transparency into the surface established order defines the understanding of the
of architectures (Giedion 2009). modern place.
Meanwhile, the sense of placelessness and mobility
weakened the uniqueness bound with a site and a
place and the authenticity derived therefrom. It is well- 3. Pavilion: from shelter to events
known that the process of “commercialization” where 3.1. Temporary but original: shelter or shrine
the uniqueness of a good separated from a place trans
forms into disposableness and repetitiveness has been The word “pavilion” originates from the French archaic
accelerated by the culture of world fairs popular in the word pavellun, derived from the Latin word papilio,
19th century. On “placelessness,” the architecture of which means butterfly. It refers to the temporary nat
the 1970s referred to the emotional connection ure of tent structures presented as moving, extraordin
between humans and places or environments “topo ary, thin, and light images resembling butterflies.
philia” (Tuan 1974) and highlights the endemism and Pavilion in architecture is commonly considered as a
regionality of lands and materials. In addition, “lightweight and largely open structure dedicated to a
Frampton emphasized the architectonic suitability for single purpose” (Samson 2016) and refers to a shelter
a particular site through critical regionalism and urged in a garden or an exhibit hall. In addition, it is a free-
resistance against the homogenization trend of mod standing unit exposed in all directions and expresses
ern capitalism through the means of specific material “the idea of architectural shelter.” Marc-Antoine
ity (Frampton 1983). Laugier (2009) proposed a single-cell type of shelter,
Site specificity, which appeared in art, began with “primitive hut”, constructed with natural objects to
the early work of minimalism and that of Richard Serra, explain the fundamental elements of architecture.
and confronted modernist tabula rasa in the context of The idea of primitive hut as a shelter for humans
a particular land to have meaning only in that space. unprotected from nature emphasized the rooted con
The works cannot be moved to the exhibition without struction based on the tectonics of the pillars and
dismantling them, and thus, they have been given beams anchored on the ground as the origin of archi
authority because of this (Miller 2013). However, sub tecture; but in fact, such structures intended to func
sequent critical works take issue with the institutional tion as roofs and walls across the fabric as a barrier
influence of the framework of a particular place itself, between nature and human bodies. Fundamentally,
break down the equivalence between it and the work, fabricated tents indicated that the dwelling was to
and emphasize the work or process of the place. cover the exposed body. The tent was originally a
Considered important in performance art are “ges form of construction for nomadic dwelling. After
tures, events, and performances performed within the humans adopted a lifestyle of settlement, it provided
4 H. JUNG AND S. PARK
temporary living quarters for trade and transport. As desires. This stems from the fact that the pavilion is a
such, “place of dwelling,” which encompass settlement temporary residence in a non-routine and nomadic
and wandering, were divided into two constructive place. Folly, referring to a whimsical structure, is a
forms. One was the mass of masonry construction homophone to folie, which means madness, and it
and the bond between the foundation and the ground has a dual meaning. Similar to the meaning of the
to support it, and the other was the fabrication of the word, the folly of the garden took a free form away
bough and cloth. Settlement is a vertical force perpen from institutional style and formalism. If the pavilion
dicular to the ground, and mobility is a lateral force functioned as an official resting place for the garden,
drifting the surface of the ground. the folly served as one of the elements or decorations
The tent also enables reconciliation and coexistence of the landscape. It was also a device that provided an
with nature. A garden is known as a combination of the element of surprise and eccentricity, rather than a
Hebrew gan, which means “fence,” and Oden, which feature that completes the entire scene. Therefore,
means “joy.” The etymology of garden means the people wandering in the garden were temporary resi
humanization of nature and the experience of joy felt dents in the pavilion, but became travelers looking for
there. The ancient garden was a place of leisure for non-routine enjoyment when walking between the
contemplation, relaxation, and hunting, as well as a follies. The folly, which was inside the mansions of
venue for events for the display of power. Persia’s the nobility for private pleasure, emerged as an impor
gardens were intended to be a “paradise” that did tant formal element in the picturesque garden, which
not just lock nature up and domesticate it, but an became common in England in the 18th century. As an
area in which humans could unite in complete recon important aesthetic object to complete the landscape
ciliation with nature. The paradise was square, and the of the picturesque garden, the fabrique followed the
crossroads divided the place into four; the pavilion was stylistic standards of the external decoration of the
at the center as a temporary human residence folly and the reductive structure of the pavilion
(Farahani, Motamed, and Jamei 2016). (Symes 2014). The exterior followed the norms of the
Persians referred to the king’s tent as “heaven” and classical style, but the scale was reduced to an unin
re-painted the sky on the inside of the roof walls. The habitable level and had no interior space. It was an
desire to humanize nature through artistic activities important object to complete a single idealized land
that “re-enact” the dual attitude toward it on the sur scape of arcadia, along with camouflaged boundaries
face of the architecture emerged. The garden, as culti and calculated locations to “appear natural.” The sty
vated nature surrounded by fences, is a humanized listic facade completing the arcadia represented an
outer world, and the pavilion in it is an artifact repre ideal place, but only worked as an ideological image,
senting humanized dwelling in preparation for nature, depriving it of residence. However, fabrique is an
not an area for daily residence. As such, the pavilion in important exhibition to realize a picturesque garden
the garden is a constructive extension and establish with nature being an integrated ideal. The position and
ment of its meaning. The symbolic aspects of the external appearance are most important in the overall
pavilion were inherited through aedicula and ciborium. placement of the garden. Therefore, the key elements
Both were small temples in the form of canopy, but if for the pavilion were its location and appearance
the aedicula was a way to express the “the human within the entire layout of the garden. The epidermatic
action that protects and celebrates that which is lawful display for visual delight made those walking in the
and civilized, despite its closeness to the void outside,” garden travelers rather than residents. This helped to
(Samson 2016) the ciborium was a small pavilion inside make walking in public space an important social rite.
a church, containing the meaning of the divine world The disappearance of “gan” from the picturesque gar
in the order of the civilized shrine. In each case, the den is not irrelevant. The spatial relationship that dis
pavilion was the establishment of human positions tinguished it from nature was concealed and reduced
and territories within the shrine as a reductive Nature, to a subject only with the epidermis for visual enjoy
either as a garden or as a divine threshold. As a single ment. Along with this, the important symbolic function
free-standing shelter, the pavilion expresses the origi of the pavilion – the expression of dual emotions of the
nal constructive principle of architecture and as a tem hidden gods in nature and the desire for nature – also
porary shelter in a garden, it plays the symbolic role of disappeared, and the characteristics of the formalistic
expressing the twofold perceptions toward nature. transformation for the epidermatic style dominated
the architecture of a pavilion.
plan, brought back the pavilion as a place of action Sedlmayr, was the starting point of denying “some
through follies. At the time, the pavilion was the physi thing constructive”(Sedlmayr 1957). Avant-gardist El
cal equivalent of the deconstructivist spirit of the time, Lissitzky proposed that it was the vision for the future
replacing the meaning of the power and paradise of the to overcome the base tied to the lands and experi
pre-modern pavilion with modern thought. Folly is a mented with the vision in Buckminster Fuller’s
spatial version of the discourse of deconstructivism of Dymaxion House. Named on the basis of “Dynamic +
Bernard Tschumi and Jacques Derrida. At that time, Maximum + Tension,” it was inspired by “Ger” from
Tschumi viewed that the primary issue of modern Mongolia, which is a traditional residence of the
urban planning was the return of activity and program nomads as a mobile architecture.
as “functions” because architectural ideologies of pre A single foundation like a tent is built with the
vious eras served to stabilize society and perpetuate the weight supported with tensile force toward the single
system. He also focused on the problem of capturing central mast. Fuller attempted to provide “a sustain
human dynamic and unpredictable movements in able autonomous single-family dwelling, the living
urban architectural space. Architecture is not just a machine of the future” for nomadic residence suitable
space and form, but an event and action that takes to the mobile technology and mass productions of
place in a space. He argued that the architectural machinery in the modern age. A radical example of a
space should be transformed into a field where con mobile machine for residence is “Cushicle and
flicts, disjunction, and dismantlement of programs Suitaloon” by Michael Webb, who proposed the
occur, and coincidental events are triggered anew. “Dwelling Capsule Concept” (Figure 1). People practice
This resulted in the denunciation of classical norms “minimal residence” by wearing an inflatable tent and
and a deconstructionist platform of autonomous com relying on a cushicle machine that aids movement. By
binations of reduced geometric elements. Tschumi’s getting rid of all elements of material construction of
follies were shown as a constructive play in which architecture of the past, it shows that the ensemble of
basic geometric elements such as dots, lines, and “body-cloth-machine” is the original element of noma
planes were autonomously combined in grid systems. dic residency.
The simplest reduced geometrical elements are consid While they presented a single structure restored
ered as neutral form factors that do not enforce any with minimal clothes and mobility machine as an archi
social norms. It is assumed that the void space between tecture for nomadic dwelling, “Concert Hall Project
the form factors functions as an open field for activity. If Montage” by Mies van der Rohe (1942) presented the
a fixed and traditional place was leaning on a solid sensitivity of mobility with an abstract structure by
boundary reminiscent of a thick fabrication and the inserting weightless (or rootless) wall-plane within a
resulting stark sense of boundary, the place of activity broad space of machinery image. It looked as if it was
and event appeared to be a neutral empty space cre floating without supporting the roof formed with the
ated between autonomous geometric elements devoid then-modish technology of the space frame, and the
of meaning. Neutral form factors are generated by wall at the boarder defining the broad space was
morphological variations and should not contain sym removed, such that the space became a field extend
bolic meaning; only the play activity of people should ing without limit. By turning and juxtaposing the wall
produce temporary meaning. The movement of people and roof, which are the basic constitutive elements of
is what is important, and the advent of an event means architecture, into an abstract plane that is flat and
that various movements invade the architectural space expanding, it reflects the reality of mechanical resi
(Tschumi 1981). Derrida, in particular, defined an event dence in the modern era and idealism toward taking
as the “establishment of a place to live” and evoked off the lands.
Heidegger’s notion that building is the act of forming a As such, the architectural experiments that pursue
dwelling itself. Therefore, the provision of the shape of an anti-gravitational form reflecting the changing rea
a void where an event can take place becomes the sole lity of residence driven by the amplified mobility have
responsibility of architecture, and the place of dwelling weakened the concept of “the authenticity of a space
becomes the place of the event. The pavilion, like fol that is unique and fixed” based on the binding rela
lies, became a sort of a stage and a field that encom tionship with the lands.
passed the scenes of events where various acts of
movement took place.
3.5. Serpentine Pavilion project as a “site-
specific” work
3.4. Rootless Pavilion
Several authors who believed that the restoration of
The desire for architecturalization of the sensitivity of the uniqueness and individuality of space was a cure
art of movements is the main motivation for modern for modern diseases tended to highlight only the work
architecture. As an ideal pavilion, Ledoux’s “House of operating in this particular space. Site-specific works
Gardener Project in the Town of Chaux”, according to are an attempt to reclaim lost individuality and
6 H. JUNG AND S. PARK
uniqueness from the site and place, viewing modern Rem Koolhaas emphasized the social aspects of the
homogenized and universalized places as the causes of project, describing it as “proposing a place that facil
the failure of modernist art. In response to the fact that itates the inclusion of individuals in communal dialo
modernist architecture and artwork pursued a mova gue and shared experience” (Jodidio, Köper, and
ble object of autonomy in tabula rasa, it set the estab Bosser 2011).
lishment of an inseparable relationship between work The architects who participated in the Serpentine
and place as its top priority. Thus, an object or event is Pavilion Project questioned the philosophical, political,
not perceived as a visual manifestation through the and ecological challenges facing architecture today,
eyes separated from the body, but rather as something “arguing against ideas of sign, symbol or irony, bring
that is being experienced “now, here” by the subject ing about notions of tactility, materiality, tectonics, and
and through the user’s physical sight and re-evokes authenticity.” (Patteeuw and Szacka 2019). Tactility and
the place. materiality are based on a phenomenological under
The Serpentine Gallery’s Pavilion Project (2000~) is standing of space, which emphasizes the physical and
an example of a temporary exhibition at the extension sensational perception of a space called a “sense of
of “site-specific art” (Table 1). This is an event-type place.” For an architectural structure to touch people’s
exhibition that operates temporarily by condensing hearts, materiality must be
the architectural philosophy of the architect selected emphasized since it must be able to trigger tactile
by the gallery every summer in the garden of sensations appealing to common memory and atmo
Serpentine Gallery in Hyde Park. Through the project, sphere. This is an important part of architectural resis
the Serpentine Gallery extends outside the white cube, tance proposed by Frampton, stressing the tactility
making the pavilion an event-like object in the gallery and indigenous materials and the tectonic aspect to
garden and a folly. The gallery hosts a summer night restore the regional cultures that have been domi
event set in the pavilion every year. Through this, the nated by the universal civilization of modernity. The
museum is expanded into a garden of the public, practical form of “placelessness” from the perspective
simultaneously functioning as a forum where it can of architectural autonomy is the purely technical struc
meet the public without boundaries and transform ture that is distinct from the tectonic aspect of a struc
into a social place. In 2006, the pavilion’s designer ture. Architectural structural elements, in essence,
JOURNAL OF ASIAN ARCHITECTURE AND BUILDING ENGINEERING 7
2007 Olafur Eliasson Exclusive possession of the 2017 Diébédo Proposing an environmental
& environment through Francis agenda through local
Kjetil visualization of Kéré materials, tectonic and
Thorsen ascending circular ecological design
movement
2008 Frank Gehry Timber structures, garden 2018 Frida Highlighting the
parties, a flock of Escobedo atmosphere of a space
butterflies, and a military through reinterpretation
catapult created by of materials, proximity to
Leonardo da Vinci to the ground surface and
present a new space tactile experience
based on tectonic
2009 SANAA Providing a neutral space 2019 Junya Homogenization of nature
through reflective Ishigami and artificial construction
materials and extending using sustainable
horizontal roof canopy materials in an innovative
structure
2020 Counterspace Discourse to deploy
environmental issues by
using recycled materials
Figure 2. Serpentine Gallery Pavilion as a tectonic notion (a) Zumthor (2011); (b) Escobedo (2018); (c) Fujimoto (2013).
8 H. JUNG AND S. PARK
according to Frampton, are the “act of transforming (including geographical characteristics) as an architec
architectural actions into artistic practices.” That is tural strategy for the same problem consciousness
equivalent to an emphasis on tactile elements of a (Figure 3). Examples, unlike the characteristics of the
structure. Furthermore, Juhani Pallasmaa said that pavilion, that uniquely do not have a deep foundation
“the materials from the nature (stone, brick, tree) on the site, provide a cavernous space by offering a
allow our perspectives to pierce into their surface and surrounding interior space through site cultivation, in
to trust their authenticity,” (Pallasmaa 2012) and contrast to primitive huts and are also seen as practices
argued that tactility comes from the depth of time of resistance against the placelessness. Zumthor’s
one has penetrated into the superficial features. (2011) pavilion is particularly interesting (Figure 2(a)),
Within the Serpentine Project, the theme of which is with its columnless structure and layout reminiscent of
tactility, notable works include Zumthor (2011) and the inner courtyard of medieval monasteries and black
Escobedo’s (2018) pavilion, which emphasize the timber wall’s coordination, which resists against the
atmosphere through proximity to the architecture’s fact that modern architecture has devoted itself to
surface and tactile experience, and Fujimoto’s (2013) transparency and provides a cavernous space decon
work, which expresses the ephemeral contemporary structing the Greek order or primitive hut (Mallinson
phenomena through the tectonic of thin white steel 2011).
pipes by presenting structures that permeate the sur Meanwhile, it is an important task of Serpentine
rounding landscape (Figure 2). Pavilion Project to present new sociality and an archi
Additionally, works by Radić (2014) and Kéré (2017) tecture form suitable thereto.
that apply the local characteristics of the materials and These are projects that provide a model of modern
construction techniques can be understood based on technological construction through the experiments of
“Critical Regionalism,” (Frampton 1983), which com Libeskind’s (2001) deconstructivism autonomy, the
bines universal modern technology with local culture new morphology shown by pavilions by Hadid
(2000), Ito (2002), and SANNA (2009) of an atypical
single roof, and the plan to induce Eliason and
Thorsen’s (2007) movement; they offer the architect’s
iconic style in a sculpting manner (Figure 4).
The works by Kéré (2017), Escobedo (2018), and
Counterspace (2020) presented rain-collecting roof
structures, local material textures, and unique con
struction methods, aiming to provide a place for dis
course for social problems and debate under the
Figure 3. Serpentine gallery Pavilion as a combination of ecological and cultural conditions of each region
tectonic and representation (a) Radić (2014); (b) Kéré (2017). (Figure 5). This is an approach that emphasizes the
Figure 4. Serpentine Pavilions as an imagery reproduction (a) Libeskind (2001); (b) Zaha Hadid (2000); (c) Toyo Ito (2002); (d)
SANAA (2009); (e) Eliason & Thorsen (2007).
Figure 5. Serpentine gallery Pavilion as a place for discourse for social problems (a) Kéré (2017); (b) Escobedo (2018); (c)
Counterspace (2020).
JOURNAL OF ASIAN ARCHITECTURE AND BUILDING ENGINEERING 9
fundamental idea of the Serpentine Project, which author’s “presence.” Therefore, authorship guarantees
aims to expand the museum to the outside world the quality of the work, and such authorship is estab
and society by providing a place for “social discourse” lished by the authority that accredits it. Serpentine
and “temporary events.” Gallery, through its own authority, places architects
Meanwhile, like Suitaloon by Webb, which on the ranks of artists and star architects, contributing
expresses the sensitivity of nomadic residence, an to the brandification of architecture.
emphasis on the curtain and surface surrounding the In the modern world, in which the process of a
body of a structure has been displayed in the product losing its location is referred to as commercia
Serpentine Project. lization, the product type is a medium that conveys the
Ito (2002), OMA (2006), and SelgasCano’s (2015) essence of the object(Foster 1993), and the product
pavilion is the outermost edge and external surface becomes one only when it is a symbol(Lefebvre 2005).
of the inner volume, being an exoskeleton that com In other words, objects that are devoid of its location
bines a skeleton devoid of an external surface of the become symbols, and symbols, in place of the location,
tectonic and the masonry’s wall that provides the provide a visual and textual experience. The cultural
boundary between the interior and the exterior power of a specific location and the artistic authority of
(Figure 6). The interior space is expanded to transform the gallery, in this case, the extended gallery area of
into volumes and outer layers like “inflatable the Kensington Garden, provides the one-off pavilion
Suitaloon.” It is reminiscent of Mies van der Rohe’s its own identity and authorization, making it the gal
50 × 50 House, which pushed the column to the sur lery’s icon or the architect’s symbol. The pavilion after
face, flattening the distinction between the roof–col having been temporarily used as a stage where social
umn–ground, and delivered the impossibility of programs operate, will then be recorded via texted
dwelling (Hartoonian and Frampton 1994). records in books, articles, and works by artists. The
These works are related to site-specific art, which trans objects built on the site are replaced every year, but
form the place into concepts of audience, social issues, the memory of having been a field for works and
and community. Now, what is specific is not the physical events is carved into the place. Thus, the repetitive
conditions of the place, but the issues that the people one-off characteristic of events shown in this project
who occupy it are interested in. In addition, a series of is combined with identity and authorship to produce a
works to revive the characteristics of the place through new authentic placeness that supplants the concept of
the relationship between artworks and the place have a place of permanence.
become one-off events that cannot be reproduced as
they are implemented into a procedural performance.
However, unlike Tschumi’s follies, which act as a 4. Discussion
venue for routine events, the Serpentine Pavilion is
The pavilion is a place for temporary dwelling, but it
placed in a special context that is not routine as a has been constructed as a primitive building type, tent,
work that has been given authenticity by the gallery
or conical and cubic form, to symbolize the human
authority. It is a pavilion with an interior space that
domain of nature. Samson (2015), citing Colin Rowe,
serves as a venue for events in the park for a certain said that “the pavilion as architecture here appears, in
period, as well as an exhibit of the museum space,
its archetypal Western realization, as a repertoire of
including the garden, as a recognized work of art.
normative elements” and that “conceptually a pavilion
This is in line with the phenomenon indicated by and usually a single volume, it aspires to a rigorous
Kwon (2004) in which authorship replaces authenticity. symmetry of exterior and (where possible) exterior.” In
When works that are meaningful only in certain places addition to the pavilion in the garden, the aedicula and
are (re-) installed and (re-) displayed in other exhibi the ciborium, which reproduced the “Holy of Holies”
tions, place-boundedness is replaced through the inside the cathedral, took a primitive form consisting of
Figure 6. Serpentine Pavilions as an emphasis on the curtain and surface surrounding the body of a structure (a) Ito (2002); (b)
OMA (2006); (c) SelgasCano (2015).
10 H. JUNG AND S. PARK
However, the pavilion as free-standing shell or be preserved and delivered to the community mem
frame around a place reduced the building program bers. The monument is not originally intended for
into artistic features playing the role of a model that dwelling but is an object that functions symbolically.
revealed the architecture’s archetype. The construction of the monument is a collective
This characteristic was the main reason why the proposition, with the festive nature of poiesis or “build
exhibition hall, an event space for showcasing symbols ing.” The monument appears to be on the opposite
of the new era, was commonly referred to as the side of the “place of dwelling,” given that it excludes
“Pavilion.” Only at the fair, the pavilion not only plays residence and has a propositional non-routine nature.
a symbolic role in the institutional spatial style that the However, it has been considered a typical “place of
former site of the settlement contained, but also has permanence” because the purpose of the monument
been given the function of a place to promote and is ultimately to equalize and perpetuate the collective
convey social values. values of the community.
Today, the modern pavilion serves as a model for Concerned about the loss of modern monumental
reducing contemporary agendas of architecture, while ity, Sert, Léger, and Giedion (1958) emphasized the
also being a venue for site-specific art events to accom importance of the role of monumentality in the new
modate social programs. As a symbolic building that society, saying that “monuments . . . have to satisfy the
will serve as a venue for social exchange and public eternal demand of the people for translation of their
debate, the Serpentine Pavilion has been placed in the collective force into symbols.” Art historian Riegl (1982)
ranks of an artwork through the authorship given by mentioned the nature and status of monuments that
the identity of star architects and the gallery – and the have changed in the modern era and argued that the
site-specificity. new unintentional monuments have emerged in addi
Such site-specific art emphasizes the location and tion to the “intentional monuments” from the past. The
materiality of the site as a basis for recovering identity nature of modernity, which pursues newness and
and univocity believed to have been lost during mod changes, has ironically given rise to the worship of
ern times. The common purpose of site-specific works things from the past that have disappeared, pursuing
was to discover the meaning of differences and symbolism by granting aura to historical objects or
uniqueness in places. However, as the number of tour adding a historical image to newly emerged objects.
ing exhibitions that leaned on the author’s identity Unlike the past, the modern era featured monuments
gradually increased, the authority of the gallery honoring the historical traces of old objects, and objects
replaced the specificity of the site, and the time-ness of history in the museum were considered to have an
of the change acquired through the bond with the aura. An old object that came from a place of things
place transformed into qualities such as temporality belonged to an institutionalized one like gallery or
and repeatability of the event. It is interesting that the museum, and it was recognized for its aura and origin
discourse on site-specificity that emerged with the fear ality. In other words, the intangible system of empower
from the fact that the originality of the work lies in the ing things and its space has replaced the traditional place.
aura fixated in the uniqueness of the place, and the The pavilion, thereby, is a model of “place” for
power of modernity lies in the loss of the aura, invok modern people. It emphasizes its temporality in the
ing a placelessness was reproduced centered on aspect of time, focuses on new morphological con
“events and performances” that emphasize the place. struction and phenomenological materiality in the
Its reproductions were characteristic in that they could aspect of tectonic, and acts as a field of discourse
not be repeated to revoke the uniqueness of that and event where individual-anonymous socialities
place. The traditional place-boundness, in which aura intersect. As a material and spatial alternative to such
and uniqueness are carved into the site and things placeness, the pavilion can be considered an impor
through constant repetition, was to ironically return tant type of architecture.
through its characteristic of being non-repeatable.
This seems to be an effort to overcome the present-
day crisis of representation (Kaminer 2011) (Vesely Disclosure statement
2004) through the emphasis on authorship and the
repetition of events. No potential conflict of interest was reported by the
The reality that the pavilion is operating as a popu author(s).
lar place and as an artwork reveals the decline in its
architectural role as a historical monument, both as a
social institution and as a cultural symbol. The monu Funding
ments placed in the community’s spatial environment This work was supported by the Inha University under Grant
constantly expose and evoke the events that need to [61504-01].
12 H. JUNG AND S. PARK
Notes on contributors Kwon, M. 2004. One Place after Another: Site-specific Art and
Locational Identity, 27–39. Cambridge: MIT press.
Hyejin, Jung., Ph.D., Assist. Prof., Department of Architecture, Laugier, M. A. 2009. An Essay on Architecture. Translated by W.
Faculty of Engineering, Inha University, Incheon, South Herrmann, 36–38. Los Angeles: Hennessey & Ingalls, .
Korea. Her research interests concern the architectural and Translated by W. Herrmann.
urban design, spatial characteristics, and theory of placeness.
Lefebvre, H. 2005. Everyday Life in the Modern World.
Soram Park., Ph.D., Visit.Prof., Division of Architecture, Translated by J. Park, 179. Seoul: Giparang. (Original work
Myongji University, Yongin, Republic of Korea. Her research published in 2000).
focuses on theory/history and its interrelationship with archi Mallinson, H. 2011. “Zumthor’s Hairy Paradise.” Architectural
tectural and urban design. Research Quarterly 15 (4): 304–308. doi:10.1017/
S1359135512000061.
Massey, D. 1994. A Global Sense of Place. Space, Place, and
Gender, 152. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota
References
Press.
Baudrillard, J. 1992. Simulation. Translated by T. Ha. Seoul: Miller, M. H. 2013, April 24. “Gallery? What Gallery? Robert
Mineumsa. (Original work published in 1981). Barry Masterpiece Reprised in New York.” Observer. https://
Crang, M. 2016. “Tourist: Moving Places, Becoming Tourist, observer.com/2011/07/gallery-what-gallery-robert-barry-
Becoming Ethnographer.” In Geographies of Mobilities: masterpiece-reprised-in-new-york/
Practices, Spaces, Subjects, 205–224. London: Routledge. Norberg Schulz, C. 2019 Genius loci: towards a phenomenol
Cresswell, T. 2013. Place: A Short Introduction, 3–4. New ogy of architecture (1979) Cody, J., and Siravo, F. Historic
Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Cities: Issues in Urban Conservation (Los Angeles: Getty
Dal Co, F. 1990. Figures of Architecture and Thought: German Publication)
Architectural Culture 1880–1920, 19. New York: Rizzoli. Pallasmaa, J. 2012. The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the
Derrida, J. 1986. “Interview with Eva Meyer.” DOMUS 671: Senses. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.
17–24. Patteeuw, V., and L. C. Szacka. 2019. “Critical Regionalism for
Dodds, G. 2005. Building Desire: On the Barcelona Pavilion. Our Time.” Architectural Review 245 (1466): 92–99.
London: Routledge. Relph, E. 1976. Place and Placelessness. Vol. 67. London: Pion.
Farahani, L. M., B. Motamed, and E. Jamei. 2016. “Persian Riegl, A. 1982. “The Modern Cult of Monuments: Its Character
Gardens: Meanings, Symbolism, and Design.” Landscape and Its Origin.” Oppositions 25 , (1): 20–51.
Online 46: 1–19. doi:10.3097/LO.201646. Rubio, I. S. 2004. Differences: Topographies of Contemporary
Foster, H. 1993. The Anti-aesthetic: Essays on Postmodern Architecture. Translated by J. Lee, 162. Seoul: Sigond
Culture. Translated by H. Yoon, 206. Seoul: Hyun-dai Munhwasa. (Original work published in 1997).
Mihaksa. (Original work published in 1983). , , and S. Giedion. 1958 Nine Points on Monumentality 1943 .
Frampton, K., Futagawa, Y. 1983 Modern Architecture, 1851- “.” Architecture You and Me (London: Oxford University
1945 (New York: Rizzoli) Press) 48–51.
Giedion, S. 2009. Space, Time and Architecture: The Growth of a Samson, M. D. 2016. Hut Pavilion Shrine: Architectural
New Tradition. 5th ed. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Archetypes in Mid-Century Modernism. London:
Hartoonian, G., and K. Frampton. 1994. Ontology of Construction: Routledge.
On Nihilism of Technology in Theories of Modern Architecture. Sedlmayr, H. 1957. Art in Crisis: The Lost Centre. Translated
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. by J. Lee and Brian Battershaw. London: Hollis and
Heidegger, M. 1971. Building Dwelling Thinking. Poetry, Carter .
Language, Thought. Translated by H. Albert, 145–160. Symes, M. 2014. “The Concept of the “Fabrique”.” Garden
New York: Harper Colophon. History 42 (1): 120–127. Accessed 5 January 2021. http://
Heidegger, M. 2000. Elucidations of Hölderlin’s Poetry (EHP). www.jstor.org/stable/24636290
Translated by H. Keith. Amherst: Humanity Books. Tuan, Y. 1974. Topophilia: A Study of Environmental
Jodidio, P., K. Köper, and J. Bosser. 2011. Serpentine Gallery Perception, Attitudes and Values. Newyork: Columbia
Pavilions. Cologne: Taschen. University Press.
Kaminer, T. 2011. Architecture, Crisis and Resuscitation: The Vesely, D. 2004. Architecture in the Age of Divided
Reproduction of post-Fordism in Late-twentieth-century Representation: The Question of Creativity in the Shadow
Architecture. London: Routledge. of Production. Cambridge: MIT Press.