Serpentine Gallery Pavilion by Olafur Eliasson and Kjetil Thorsen

London, 2007

In 2007, London’s Serpentine Gallery Pavilion was designed by the acclaimed Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson and Norwegian architect Kjetil Thorsen, from architectural practice Snøhetta.

The timber-clad structure they created resembled a spinning top and brought a dramatic vertical dimension to the traditional single level pavilion. The Kvadrat textile Tempo was used to upholster specially produced inflatable furniture, cushions and a curtain inside the pavilion. 

Artist Olafur Eliasson (IS/DK), born 1967, works in a wide range of media, including installation, painting, sculpture, photography, and film. Since 1997, his solo shows have appeared in major museums around the world. Eliasson’s projects in public space include The New York City Waterfalls in 2008, and Ice Watch for which Eliasson, with geologist Minik Rosing, brought melting ice blocks from Greenland to Copenhagen in 2014 and to Paris on the occasion of the COP21 Climate Conference in 2015. Established in 1995, his studio today numbers about ninety craftsmen, architects, archivists, administrators, and cooks.

In 2014, Eliasson and architect Sebastian Behmann founded Studio Other Spaces, an office for art and architecture focusing on interdisciplinary and experimental building projects and works in public space. Together with engineer Frederik Ottesen, Eliasson founded the social business Little Sun in 2012. This global project produces and distributes the Little Sun solar lamp for use in off-grid communities and spreads awareness about the need to expand access to sustainable energy to all.