Ai Weiwei designs London pavilion from afar

Chinese artist held under house arrest spent hours on Skype designing building for Serpentine gallery.

Ai Weiwei, the Chinese artist under house arrest in Beijing in connection with tax evasion charges, has nevertheless lent his creative hand to design a summer pavilion for London’s Serpentine Gallery.

Ai, who spent hours on his computer with a Swiss architect, chatting and speaking via Skype to refine their plan, will almost certainly miss seeing his pavilion in person, since it closes in October.

Over a spotty Skype line from China, Ai told Al Jazeera that he wants to design buildings in a way that makes visitors look at buildings differently.

Al Jazeera’s Jessica Baldwin reports from London.

Source: Al Jazeera