Taking inspiration from the Yong, The Serpentine Galleries project, the folly represents its concept and strives to be the first pavilion on the Gallery, starting a line of installations, multi-media exhibitions and other iconic and eye-catching socio-cultural elements. We believe this architectural approach to redesigning infrastructural heritage in Seoul has great potential to drive the discourse on more sustainable and resilient cities across the world.
The installation conveys the intricate relation between old and new, between past and present. Inspired by the traditional English landscape gardens, it adapts a romantic and ornamental character, paying homage to a traditional landscape element, but adapts it to the contemporary metropolitan context. The visitors can immerse themselves in the small space and feel part of the dynamic interplay between old and new as well as understand the temporality of architectural structures first hand.
Referring to the ‘architecture parlante’, the folly aims to convey the possibility of redesigning and transforming urban structures through an approach steeped in the culture and heritage of a specific place. It speaks of both the flowing fabric of tents and the convex forms of an East-Asian vernacular. However, through the application of steel, a material typically associated with infrastructure rather than romantic follies, the visitors experience the duplicity of the folly.
The base of the installation has the form of an octagon and, through a twisted middle section, turns into a rectangle at a height of 6 meters. The installation requires a total of 165 kg untreated steel pipes, arranged over two levels to form a towering architectural structure. An additional 1620 kg untreated steel sheets, which are welded into form, will be incorporated. Through these curved steel plates, our folly carries a sense of faux tent, imitating the soft characteristics with a strong and durable material instead. In the middle of our folly, a 1×1 meters exhibition table offers additional information on Yong, the Serpentine Galleries.