Behind-the-scenes: Serpentine Process
Time, tide and Serpentine schedule wait for no man. The timeline of the pavilion commission is notoriously tight and while this imparts a welcome sense of urgency and even excitement, it also relies heavily on successful collaboration, a skilled workshop and a deft hand at site management.
The hands-on process begins in earnest early in the year when samples and mock-ups are made, detailed drawings produced, progress agreed and production begins. Manufacturing across all relevant departments follows, with production running alongside site preparation and installation.
The following photos reflect the processes and people at work in the creation of this year’s pavilion, designed by Diébédo Francis Kéré. Taken by photojournalist Jude Palmer, with an additional few taken by our own staff, they capture the behind-the-scenes collaboration and build a picture of the story so far.
The pavilion opens on the 23rd of June.
Our work on Serpentine Pavilions 2009 – 2016