The first details for the design of the 2022 Serpentine Pavilion have been released. Designed by Chicago-based artist Theaster Gates, and titled Black Chapel, the scheme draws inspiration from the industrial kilns of the English midlands, resulting in a cylindrical wooden structure with a punctured dome roof.

Designed in collaboration with Adjaye Associates, the pavilion is intended to be a “place of quietude” in the aftermath of COVID-19, with a programme of concerts and events including a performance by Gates and his band, the Black Monks. Gates describes the pavilion as a “chapel for new music” including ““Gospel, alt-jazz, avant garde sounds, the history of British black music, Gregorian and Benedictine chants – all the things me and my band are into.”

Architecturally, the 36-foot-tall pavilion is supported by a combination of timber and steel trusses forming a circle of columns. Above, a 52-foot diameter domed roof contains a 10-foot diameter oculus, meaning the pavilion’s interior will be open to the elements.

Externally, the pavilion will be clad with a plywood façade and waterproof membrane, while the base of the interior and exterior walls will be lined in dark-stained timber boarding. The entrance, the pavilion will display a large bronze bell salvaged from the now-demolished St Laurence Church in Chicago, while inside, a large dividing wall will separate a café from the main performance space.

An artist by practice, Gates is the first non-architect to be awarded the Serpentine Pavilion commission. With a background in urban planning, Gates’ work centers on space theory and land development, sculpture, and performance, integrating sound, motion, Black history, and architectural features. He is also a professor at the Department of Visual Arts at the University of Chicago.

Gates is also involved with the design of the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool, England in collaboration with David Adjaye and Asif Kahn, as well as the Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. Last year, Gates was awarded the Frederick Kiesler Prize for Architecture and the Arts by the Austrian Frederick and Lillian Kiesler Private Foundation. 

The pavilion is expected to be open to the public from 10th June to 16th October 2022. The 2021 edition of the Serpentine Pavilion was designed by South African studio Counterspace, whose original 2020 commission was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

You can look back at the history of the Serpentine Pavilion through our dedicated coverage here.