Virtually every architect knows about the Serpentine Pavilion, the temporary pavilion that is part of the Serpentine Gallery programme every summer, designed by reowned architect that, until that moment, had never built a project in the UK. But this summer there is also ROSY (the ballerina) by German Art & Architecture collective raumlaborberlin, a mobile, bubble-shaped pavilion that is now on tour in the capital. Since May, the project will be on tour until September, transforming over fifteen parks and green spaces and playing host to a dynamic programme of events by London's leading cultural organisations, including The London Festival of Architecture, Tate Modern and the Roundhouse.

About its creators, Raumlabor Berlin, we can read:

Raumlabor have been experimenting with "bubbletecture" since 2006, developing a series of mobile sculptures that consist of a 'container' such as a box, van, trailor or even a bicycle, from which an air supported translucent membrance inflates to create a temporary social space.  This translucent bubble can squeeze under bridges, wrap around trees or nestle into corners, providing a nomadic, inside/outside space in which people can perform debate, eat or simply hang out.

This "bubbletecture" project had been directly influenced by the avant-garde inflatable projects from the 60s and 70s, such as Archigram's Bubble, the Instant City or the Suitaloon and also reminds us of the projects developed by José Miguel de Prada Poole in Spain, like Instant City or the Heliotrón.

Archigram's Instant City

José Miguel de Prada Poole's Instant City

Portavilion is one of the most ambitious contemporary art projects to take place in London's public realm. Curated by Emma Underhill of up projects, it launched in 2008 with four temporary pavilions by internationally renowned artists in some of London’s most popular parks. This ongoing project explores the possibilities for temporary, large scale public art, and is as much a celebration of the city's most treasured open spaces as it is a cultural event. As they wrote in their web-site: "Portavilion 2010 with Raumlabor takes the project to a new level, pushing the potential for mobile, artist designed structures towards its logical conclusion."

Portavilion Curator, Emma Underhill said:

“Portavilion is a mobile, expanding public art project and Raumlabor’s proposal is a fantastic addition to our series of artist’s pavilions for London’s parks. Its mobility and flexibility will enable us to take the work of a broad range of cultural organisations out of the museum, theatre or performance space and into some of the city’s most treasured green-spaces in an innovative and accessible way.”

Looking at these images we're not only reminded of the utopian projects we pointed out before, but also of the work of Tomas Saraceno and other recent inflatable projects as The Cloud for London, Clouds by Paisajes Emergentes and Moon Shadow by Smiljan Radi. Are we revisiting the 60s? Maybe we're just rediscovering great ideas from the past, with light and portable elements that are easy to construct with current technologies. What do you think?