- Title: Architect Francis Kéré takes Burkina Faso to a London summer.
- Date: 22nd June 2017
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (JUNE 20, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF 2017 SERPENTINE PAVILION VARIOUS OF FRANCIS KERE SPEAKING AT THE OPENING (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARCHITECT, FRANCIS KERE, SAYING: "I chose blue. Blue is something meaningful to me. In my country, indigo blue is a natural colour and that is the colour for people when you go to a big celebration that is what you wear. And I wanted to dress in my best colour being awarded to do the Serpentine pavilion is the highest commission in my career and I want just to come and show me with my best clothes - and that is blue.†VARIOUS OF TREE IN FRONT OF SERPENTINE PAVILION VARIOUS OF PEOPLE AT PAVILION (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARCHITECT, FRANCIS KERE, SAYING: "The roof is very inspired by the canopy of the tree using a wooden structure stained again in a gold. Gold is so important. So, let's say yellow but gold. I wanted it to be warm, I wanted the light to go through and shine over that blue and OVER the people who will use it. So create this structure that protect you, protect you without closing you off from the outside world." VIEWS OF ROOF OF THE SERPENTINE PAVILION VARIOUS DETAIL OF WALLS (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARCHITECT, FRANCIS KERE, SAYING: "To use wood for me to, do this pavilion is the most sustainable way to deal with material. First, we are in a park a royal park, we have a lot of trees and the park breathes better with wood. That is what I wanted to do because Wood is somehow a tradition building material everywhere across the world, even in Africa and here, specifically here I treated this wood to give it a long life. So, after this temporary event here at Serpentine, it's meant to have a longer life - to have a life after Serpentine. The structure is supported by a steel structure on the top, like I would do in Burkina Faso. So it is a sustainable, strong structure that will have a life after Serpentine and there is already a lot of people fighting to get it." PAVILION VARIOUS OF PHOTOGRAPHERS TAKING PICTURES OF KERE OUTSIDE PAVILION VARIOUS OF KERE WRITING IN A BOOK (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARCHITECT, FRANCIS KERE, SAYING: "Give them a chance! Give them a chance! You will see that there is a lot of designers having the big desire to express to use architecture as a catalyst to inspire people to push people to believe in themselves. I came from Gando a very little village in Burkina Faso and now I have the chance to design at the Serpentine. So design can be learned. They can study and it and give you a chance to express yourself. There is no limitation. If you give young people like me a chance they will contribute to design, to architecture." VARIOUS OF 2017 SERPENTINE PAVILION BY KERE
- Embargoed: 6th July 2017 14:30
- Keywords: architecture Francis Kere Serpentine Gallery Burkina Faso Africa summer
- Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK
- City: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA0016MD0VH3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Designed for British summer and inspired by the airy, calming feeling of a tree, the work of Burkinabe architect, Francis Kere stands on the lawns of London's Serpentine Gallery.
This pavilion is the first by an architect from the African continent and one of the highest honours for any career in design.
Visitors are surprised to see that the trunk is bright blue.
Kere explains that indigo blue is the colour for special celebrations back in his home country, Burkina Faso and fitting of this particular occasion.
"I chose blue. Blue is something meaningful to me. In my country indigo blue is a natural colour that we could get and that is the colour for people when you go to a big celebration that is what you wear. And I wanted to dress with my best colour being awarded to do the Serpentine Pavilion is the highest commission in my career and I want just to come and show me with my best clothes - and that is blue," he said.
Each year the Serpentine selects an architect who has never built anything in England to take on the high-profile job of creating a temporary structure that fits with the surroundings and is highly original.
For this work, Kere says he chose the tree as a symbol of community - a place where people gather together.
This pavilion acts as a sort of summer house which offers shelter but isn't completely closed off from the outside.
The roof or canopy turns golden in the sunlight.
"The roof is very inspired by the canopy of the tree using a wooden structure stained again in gold. Gold is so important. So let's say yellow but gold. I wanted it to be warm, I wanted the light to go through and shine over that blue and the people who will use it. So create this structure that protect you, protect you without closing you off from the outside world," he said.
Kere first came to public attention when he won the Aga Khan award for architecture in 2004 for the wooden primary school he built in his home village of Gando in southern Burkina Faso.
Throughout his career Kere has chosen to use the most simple and natural materials making his name by finding affordable solutions to difficult architectural challenges.
"To use wood for me to do this pavilion is the most sustainable way to deal with material. First, we are in a park a royal park, we have a lot of trees and the park breathes better with wood. That is what I wanted to do Wood is somehow a tradition building material everywhere across the world, even in Africa. And here specifically here I treated this wood to give it a long life. So after this temporary event here at Serpentine it's meant to have a longer life. To have a life after Serpentine, The structure is supported by a steel structure on the top like I would do in Burkina Faso. So it is a sustainable structure that will have a life after Serpentine and there is already a lot of people fighting to get it."
Kere trained in Berlin and now runs his practice there. He has worked all over the world - notably in China and Germany - and on several projects in Mali.
He says he hopes the impact of the London tree pavilion would be to inspire more architects across Africa's nations to have confidence in their abilities and aim high.
"Give them a chance! Give them a chance! You will see that there is a lot of designers having the big desire to express to use architecture as a catalyst to inspire people to push people to believe in themselves. I came from Gando a very little village in Burkina Faso and now I have the chance to design at the Serpentine. So design can be learned. They can study and it give you a chance to express yourself. There is no limitation. If you give young people like me a chance they will contribute to design, to architecture."
The pavilion will remain in Kensington Gardens - the home of the Serpentine gallery until October before it is sold and taken down to be rebuilt in another location.
Over the summer months Kere estimates that he will have been able to collect 9,000 litres of rain water collected through the sloping roof and channelled down into a central collection point.
The water will be used for the plants and flowers in the public garden. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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