A roving garden bore
And, the journey to becoming my Mother is complete as I find myself caring as much about my garden as my house, carry a notebook for taking down the names of plants I discover and bore my partner rigid with talk of ‘look at the agapanthus!’ when we’re in the car, on the train, on a walk…
Thus, I recommend going to this year’s Serpentine Gallery Pavilion in Hyde Park if you haven’t already. It’s due to be dismantled on the 16 October (the new late summer).
Designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor – he of the amazing Spa in Vals, Switzerland – what starts as a cool black box outside, winds through a dark corridor before opening out into a beautiful open-air garden (look at the tall grass!). This part was created by Dutch designer Piet Oudolf, who by the way, is the man behind High Line in New York – a planted disused railway line that I’ve wanted to visit since seeing the pre-project plans for it at MOMA years ago. That’s Not My Age did a nice post about it here.
The Pavilion garden is surrounded by tables and seats – under cover, just – and there’s a caravan selling nice coffee before you go in. If I hadn’t had to chase after a small energetic child, I’d have done exactly what that converse-wearing couple were doing, ideally by myself with a newspaper. Catch it while you still can.
I went here in the summer, when it was pouring with rain, and thought it was beautiful the way the black open roof framed the sky.
There is that moment when we all become our mothers – I am resisting but failing. What’s not to love about chilling out amongst all those beautiful plants contrasted against that incredible black pavilion. GG
GG enjoy the last moments before you give in. Yes Cleo, thought exactly the same…I wonder where it’s going to end up – think each Pavilion is sold at the end of its stretch every year.