Black Chapel draws its inspiration from the historic great kilns of Stoke-on-Trent, paying homage to British craft and manufacturing traditions. Primarily crafted of wood, the Pavilion’s design alludes to the performative and meditative qualities of a small chapel. A bell from the demolished St. Laurence Church on Chicago’s South Side will be placed next to the entrance of the Pavilion and used to call, signal, and announce performances and activations. A single source of light from an oculus will create a sanctuary-like environment for reflection and communion. Conceived as a platform for participation, and performances, with an emphasis on music and public engagement, Black Chapel extends the artist’s practice of space-making through vernacular urban and architectural interventions. 

Throughout the Summer, the 2022 Pavilion will become a platform for Serpentine’s programme which will feature the return of Park Nights, the interdisciplinary platform for live encounters in music, poetry, dance, and the Serpentine’s Education and Civic activations, including Family Workshops and Community Day. 

The Pavilion is being designed to minimise its carbon footprint and environmental impact, in line with Serpentine’s and Therme Group’s sustainability policies. The predominantly timber structure will be lightweight and fully demountable, with a focus on sustainably sourced materials and the reusability of the structure after its time at Serpentine. Black Chapel, together with previous pavilions Therme Art has partnered on, will be re-sited to a permanent location in the future.

Four Years of Partnership

Therme Group has previously supported Serpentine Pavilions designed by Sumayya Vally and her studio Counterspace (2021), Junya Ishigami (2019) and Frida Escobedo (2018). Therme Art partnered in the activation of each of these architectural spaces through the conceptualisation and organisation of innovative events. As well as this, Therme Art has commissioned projects that provided platforms for cross-disciplinary exchange and innovative thinking and ones that sought to foster wellbeing through the arts.

In 2021, Therme Art presented performances by Tinie Tempah and ENNY in partnership with Serpentine and MYTH at the Counterspace-designed Pavilion timed to Frieze. In conjunction with that event, Hans Ulrich Obrist and Mikolaj Sekutowicz co-curated a series of Wellbeing Culture Forum talks featuring Sumayya Vally, Torkwase Dyson, Yomi Adegoke and Priya Ahluwalia, that built upon the Pavilion’s themes of gathering and belonging and that furthered conversations on how art and community can support mental wellbeing.