The Dulwich Art Gallery contains paintings by old masters, but the most interesting thing is its building. This early 19th century London building by John Soane reflected his view of "primitive" architecture with its unplastered brick façade; in addition, it is the first museum building with glazed ceilings, and the structure also claims to be the first in the world, specially built for a public art gallery.
In 2017, the gallery's management decided to celebrate its 200th anniversary with the construction of a temporary summer pavilion (modeled on
gallery "Serpentine", only more modest), which was carried out in conjunction with the London Architecture Festival. The success of the construction was so great that the second edition of the Dulwich Pavilion appeared this month, again supported by the festival. Based on the results of an open competition in 2018, a project was selected by Pricegore Bureau and British-Nigerian designer and artist Yinki Ilori. The pavilion will stay next to the Soun building until the end of September, and then, most likely, will be sold.
The building, called the "Palace of Colors", is inspired by the vibrant ornaments and colors of traditional art of different peoples, as well as the textile markets of the Nigerian metropolis of Lagos. The concrete pylons are reminiscent of barns and other piled-up storage facilities that are common in many countries around the world, and the pavilion itself is assembled from thousands of identical hand-painted wooden parts. A gallery runs along the perimeter of the facades, from where you can watch what is happening at ground level.
The task of the authors of the project was to develop three themes: color, ornament - and celebration. They see their design as a “festive response” to Soun's building, both contrasting and imitating its powerful cubic volume.
Until September 22, the pavilion will host classes in architectural drawing, engraving, origami, drawing from nature. Open discussions, culinary "club dinners", workshops for children and so on are planned.
