ENfold Pavilion

Boston, Massachusetts

Designed by Perkins + Will Architects, ENfold is a 500' glowing ribbon that is currently under construction in Frederick Law Olmsted's Evan's Way Park, directly across from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The large-scale temporary installation was recently recognized by the Boston Society of Architects for a 2013 Unbuilt Architecture Award.

ENfold was commissioned by the Fenway Alliance to commemorate the designation of the Fenway as Boston's first state-wide Cultural District. The Fenway Alliance - the designated manager of the District - includes twenty-two institutions in the Fenway area, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Museum of Fine Arts, MassArt, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and Berklee College of Music, among others.

ENfold is a translucent ribbon that stretches across the Park and derives its form from the graceful canopy of trees that cover Evans Way Park. It will serve as an interactive backdrop to support formal - and informal - programming for the greater Fenway Community during September and October of 2012. It will be a key component of a youth arts program at the Alliance's annual Opening Our Doors event. At Opening Our Doors on October 8, ENfold will act as an imaginative frame for musical performances including Afro-Brazil--a Brazilian drumming band, a tai chi exhibition, and a plethora of other artistic experiences. As the Fenway "opens its doors" to the entire extended community, the installation will gently embrace its visiting creators to inspire new experiences with both nature and the arts.

The installation is made of light-weight, semi-translucent, garden bed-liner fabric. The material elegantly wraps and folds over a network of stainless steel cables that run the length of the Park. ENfold's form has been derived from the site environment itself. An understanding of prevailing wind direction and speed helped generate a fastening system that protects tree bark and other delicate plant material. The overall form of the installation was developed from a comprehensive site analysis determined by the existing trees and other site conditions. The large maple and oak trees in the park provide support for the stainless steel webbing, and the character of the tree determines the location of the connection points for the cable. Working with a variety of different connection points has allowed us to build a dynamic undulating, folding form.

Sections of the ENfold installation will host large-scale nature-inspired artwork designed by children and art educators from the adjacent institutions. Official construction will take place during the last two weeks of September and the installation will be complete by October 8th for the Opening Our Doors ceremony of the Fenway Alliance.

When ENfold is removed at the end of October, all of it's fabric will be donated to the Boston Parks Department and to public gardens in the Fenway area including the Victory and Rose Gardens, for the 2013 growing season.