Location:
Hauser & Wirth Somerset
Durslade Farm, Dropping Lane
Bruton
Somerset
England BA10 0NL
United Kingdom

coordinates: 51.1085930,-2.4474678
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Building names(s): Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2014 / Radić Pavilion
Architect/Designer: Smiljan Radić
architect website:
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Completion date: 2014

completion date: 2014

function(s): pavilion

getting there: On foot Hauser & Wirth Somerset is located on Dropping Lane, the Wincanton road just outside Bruton. From Bruton town centre, walk towards the railway station and under the railway bridge. Just past the bridge, there is a public footpath to the right through a field. Follow this uphill, across a driveway to the community garden area and cross the B3081 to reach Durslade Farm. By public transport Bruton is situated on the Bristol to Weymouth train line. Hauser & Wirth Somerset is a 5 minute walk from the train station. A direct train service from London stops at the nearby Castle Cary and Gillingham stations. It takes approximately 15 minutes by car from Castle Cary / Gillingham to Bruton. A taxi rank is available at the station entrances. Buses run from Wincanton and Castle Cary to Bruton. opening hours: Open Tuesday – Sunday Closed Mondays (except Bank Holidays) Gallery & Garden
 10 am – 4 pm (November – February) 10 am – 5 pm (March – October)
 admission cost: Free - donations accepted. gallery website: www.hauserwirthsomerset.com Architect's statement: "The Serpentine Pavilion 2014 continues a history of small romantic constructions seen in parks or large gardens, the so-called follies that were popular from the late sixteenth century to the beginning of the nineteenth century. In general, follies appear as ruins or have been worn away by time, displaying an extravagant, surprising and often archaic form. These characteristics artificially dissolve the temporal and physical limits of the constructions into their natural surroundings. The 2014 Pavilion takes these principles and applies them using a contemporary architectural language. The unusual shape and sensual qualities of the Pavilion have a strong physical impact on the visitor, especially juxtaposed with the classical architecture of the Serpentine Gallery. From the outside, visitors see a fragile shell in the shape of a hoop suspended on large quarry stones. Appearing as if they had always been part of the landscape, these stones are used as supports, giving the pavilion both a physical weight and an outer structure characterised by lightness and fragility. The shell, which is white, translucent and made of fibreglass, contains an interior that is organised around an empty patio at ground level, creating the sensation that the entire volume is floating. The simultaneously enclosed and open volumes of the structure explore the relationship between the surrounding Kensington Gardens and the interior of the Pavilion. The floor is grey wooden decking, as if the interior were a terrace rather than a protected interior space. At night, the semi-transparency of the shell, together with a soft amber-tinted light, draws the attention of passers-by like lamps attracting moths. click here for a list of previous Serpentine Gallery Pavilions.