Hans Ulrich Obrist, Frida Escobedo, Stefano Boeri and others took part in this panel discussion about the relationship between art and architecture organised by Therme Art in collaboration with Virtual Design Festival today.

The talk was part of Therme Art's new initiative, Wellbeing Culture Forum, a programme of public online discussions that examines the role of culture and art during the coronavirus pandemic and how it can help to create healthy and sustainable urban environments.

Therme Art is the creative arm of the Therme Group and provides artworks to its spas and resorts around the world.

The first session of the series, titled Art in Architecture, was co-moderated by the Serpentine Gallery's artistic director Hans Ulrich Obrist and CEO and curator of Therme Art Mikolaj Sekutowicz.

Inspired by the Serpentine Galleries' annual architecture pavilion, the first session explored the relationship between art and architecture and the benefits of encouraging exchange between the two disciplines.

Past Serpentine Pavilion designers including Mexican architect Frida Escobedo and Japanese architect Junya Ishigami featured on the panel, as well Sumayya Vally of Counterspace, the architecture studio that was commissioned to design the 2020 Serpentine Pavilion, which was recently postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Architect and urban planner Stefano Boeri and artist Torkwase Dyson were also on the panel.

Escobedo was behind the 2018 edition of the Serpentine Pavilion, which took the form of a courtyard framed by latticed walls made from grey concrete roofing tiles.

Ishigami designed the 2019 edition, a 350 square-metre "cave-like refuge" covered by a slate clad canopy that resembles a stone hill.

Counterspace is a Johannesburg-based architecture studio run by Vally, Sarah de Villiers and Amina Kaskar. They are the youngest architects to receive the Serpentine Pavilion commission and only the third all-female studio to be chosen to design it, following Zaha Hadid in 2000 and Frida Escobedo in 2018.

Italian architect and urban planner Boeri is known for his building and city designs that are covered in plants and trees, such as a vertical forest city in China designed to combat air pollution and a plan for a Mexican smart city covered in 7.5 million plants.

Dyson is an American artist whose work explores the connections between ecology, infrastructure and architecture.

Organised by Therme Art, the creative arm of the Therme Group, Wellbeing Culture Forum is a programme of public and private talks taking place every Wednesday throughout 2020.

Dezeen has partnered with Therme Art to broadcast three talks as part of Virtual Design Festival. The next event will take place on 17 June and will feature a panel discussion including artist and stage designer Es Devlin among others, discussing the importance of live events for the wellbeing of culture in society.

About Virtual Design Festival

Virtual Design Festival runs from 15 April to 30 June 2020. It brings the architecture and design world together to celebrate the culture and commerce of our industry, and explore how it can adapt and respond to extraordinary circumstances.

To find out what's coming up at VDF, check out the schedule. For more information or to join the mailing list, email [email protected].