A Wonderful Pavilion for Gathering And Experiencing Art

I am Zara, an artist living in London. My work is an exploration of the spirit in all things, particularly in the context of our contemporary, insulated lifestyles which cut us off from the natural rhythms and intelligence of the Earth. Drawing on both spiritual and scientific sources, I see nature as a doorway into life’s mysteries and truth is explored to rekindle a sense of awe and enchantment with the world. Ideas of power, sensuality, bodies and cycles of life and death are given form in ordered, tactile sculptural drawings, objects and installations. Alongside my own practice, working as a studio assistant for artist Rana Begum has introduced me to new materials and processes, which are fundamental to my practice.

I joined The Fundamentals of Building with Bamboo as I am always interested in learning about new materials and processes, especially those which may be overlooked. Before signing up, I was looking at ideas of lightness and balance and trying to work out how you retain those elements in larger sculptural works. Bamboo seemed to fit the bill! The weave-like patterns that seemed possible when working with bamboo suggested a relation to textiles – something open and light but robust. I took the online course so I could really get to know about the material alongside these ideas and practice model making for future large scale sculptural works.

I learned an incredible amount during the course and will definitely keep revisiting the resources provided. The stand out thing for me was the model making especially with regard to different joining techniques and the ability to make curves. Despite not using direct curves in my final model, the ethos of working with the bamboo, particularly how you can play with the light entering a bamboo structure, was key in my final model. I adopted a grid formation in two large sculptural elements of my final project so the light could pass through them forming these great shadows across the grounds around the whole structure.

Sculptural Pavilion Proposal – A Gathering and Socializing Space, which also hosts an art program, including talks and performances.

The concept was a proposal for the annual Serpentine Pavilion in London – part of the program of Serpentine – a public contemporary art gallery located in Regent’s Park. I wanted the building to be both a sculpture and a pavilion where the public could gather, sit and socialize. A viewing platform would be incorporated to look out across the park grounds and for art events that would also take place in and around the pavilion.

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I wanted the two main sculptural components and viewing platform to feel seamless whilst playing with the combination of straight lines and curves which led to the final model I developed. I used the diagonal cross-bracing technique on the high viewing platform and lower seating area as I wanted something that was simple and unobtrusive. This would allow people to still walk and sit under the viewing platform. Being able to see through the whole structure also enabled me to keep this element of lightness. In my initial sketches, I was thinking of having the two main sculptural elements upright.

With guidance from Luis, he suggested letting the structures rest on the ground which created a greater area to gather and would allow the shadows being cast to really stand out. The model-making module was really my favorite as it enabled me to feel my way around the material and how it wants to behave. Even the small lesson of using a model person on a rod to think about how it would feel to be in space was invaluable.

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