Donum Estate, a 200-acre winery located between Napa and Sonoma counties in California, is among the world’s top destinations for outdoor sculpture. His enviable possessions include a dozen bronze zodiac heads by ai weiweian apparently abandoned lead fighter plane by Anselm Kiefer, a giant pumpkin by yayoi kusamaand a stainless steel banyan tree sprouting dishes and pots by Subodh Gupta. But when olafur eliasson accepted an invitation from owners Mei and Allan Warburg to visit Donum three years ago, he wanted to contribute a piece of architecture rather than sculpture.
‘It is not about making a monument. The most important thing in a winery is the moment the wine enters the mouth, so we decided to focus on that: a wine tasting pavilion”, explains the artist when we meet in Berlin this April. Also present is Sebastian Behmann, his architectural collaborator since 2001 and co-founder of Studio Other Spaces. The studio is known for its experiments at the intersection of architecture and art, with projects including Fjordenhus, the headquarters of an investment firm in Vejle, Denmark; The Seeing City, a permanent installation for the top two floors of a Paris skyscraper; and the upcoming Common Sky, a glass and mirror canopy for the courtyard of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York.
For Eliasson, wine is ‘a testimony of the Earth’. Its flavor can be shaped by the winemaker, but it is ultimately determined by the landscape, its biodiversity and, of course, the climate, a perennial occupation that dates back to The Climate Project (2003), his seminal installation at Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall. His Vertical Panorama Pavilion on the Donum Estate, which opened today (August 1, 2022), is an ode to the natural conditions that make wine possible, a particularly appropriate approach given that ‘Donum’ means ‘gift from the land’ in Latin. The defining feature of the pavilion is a conical canopy, 14.5m in diameter and made up of 832 colored glass mosaics that tell the story of the local climate. ‘It is about celebrating the ephemeral, bringing to your attention all that is often not quantifiable and therefore often forgotten.’
Aerial view of the Vertical Panorama Pavilion, showing the canopy made up of 832 colored glass mosaics
But first, the site. Studio Other Spaces was looking for a quiet spot, not too close to the Donum sculptures but not too far away either. “So we wanted a substantial view over the property to the north, but also to the bay to the south. A place where you have everything in sight, where you can look around and see the whole environment that makes up the wine”, says Behmann. Another requirement was that Donum’s other architecture should be largely out of sight (there is a wine production plant, a hospitality centerand a white cube conservation facility that houses works of art from louis bourgeois Y The Anatsui), so that visitors to the pavilion could admire an uninterrupted horizon, ‘where the sky meets the earth’.
Eliasson and Behmann identified a small hill that met their needs, and the Warburgs agreed to relocate a Keith Haring corten steel sculpture to make way for the new pavilion. Then came the landscaping task: the southeastern part of the site was raised to protect from the prevailing winds, and a winding gravel path was cut through the land to bring visitors below ground level. As you walk, you see the ground rise around you, a reminder that the ground is not just the ground you walk on, but also home to roots and microorganisms. ‘By the time you get there, you’re on the ground below. You will have detoxified yourself from the world outside Donum and you will have become sensitized to experience wine”, says Eliasson.
The ground is the first of three layers in Studio Other Spaces’ vertical panorama concept, taking you on a journey through various layers of Donum. “It brings the horizontal idea of the landscape to one that is organized vertically,” Behmann describes. The second layer is the flora and fauna, which appears at eye level as you enter the circular arrival space in the center of the pavilion. This unusual perspective encourages you to inhale the scent of grass, listen to the whisper of the wind, tune in to the chirping of insects and admire the flutter of butterflies. His perception of his lawn is enhanced by the light that filters through the deliberately low glass canopy, dotting the space with kaleidoscopic hues. The effect is dazzling, dreamlike and characteristic of Eliasson.
A view of the Vertical Panorama Pavilion, with the gravel path leading to the arrival space (center) and the tasting space (left)
The arrival space opens into two other circular areas: a smaller service space, lined with cabinets; and a larger tasting space, with elliptical brass tables and seating for twelve along its perimeter. Entering the tasting space, you sit on thickly padded benches and lean against ovoid cushions that Behmann says are inspired by “how squirrels put their stuff on the floor.” Having taken in the view of the bay to the south, your eyes are now fixed on the canopy, which Studio Other Spaces has conceived as a calendar wheel. The 832 glass mosaics consist of 24 colors in variations of translucent and transparent shades, visually shaping the annual averages of four meteorological parameters: wind, humidity, temperature and solar radiation. As Eliasson puts it, ‘you’re looking at everything that’s reported what you’re about to taste’, the climate behind Donum’s renowned Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. An oculus in the center of the canopy means your gaze will eventually settle on blue skies.
Each of the four parameters is represented by individual rings within the calendar wheel, and the colors have a precise logic: for example, red represents high temperatures and blue, low temperatures. But Eliasson and Behmann say the canopy shouldn’t be read like an infographic. Instead, its purpose is to make you aware of the elements. “It also credits our subconscious for playing a major role in the perception of taste, light, and color,” Eliasson suggests. “Offering people a legend to decipher the calendar would take attention away from wine.”
The artist points out that at wine-tasting sessions and indeed at art exhibitions, there is a danger of inundating people with information and prescribing specific takeaways, “so that they feel really stupid when they leave.” . It is important not to put people down, but to empower them to grow and flourish’. Although the Vertical Panorama Pavilion is immediately identifiable as an Eliasson project, it is also deliberately non-prescriptive. Instead of imposing an artificial intervention (eg opting for an unconventional roof shape), the pavilion simply opens your senses to the natural surroundings and affirms your appreciation for Donum wine.
He adds that ‘having different experiences of a wine is not necessarily a conflict. It is simply an acknowledgment of the potential of being together without having to be the same. There is an element of generosity in this, and belief in a diverse tomorrow.’
Detailed view of the Vertical Panorama Pavilion, with light filtering through the glass canopy to color the lawn in warm tones. in the distance is love me (2016) Richard Hudson
Just as the Vertical Panorama Pavilion’s intent reflects Eliasson’s social convictions, its material palette and construction also align with his environmentalism: the low walls that line the path and interior of the pavilion are made from an earthy brick from nearby Sacramento. (“The idea is to use as much local knowledge and material intelligence as possible,’ says Behmann). The twelve columns that support the glass canopy and the canopy structure itself are all stainless steel, eliminating the need for cladding and lends itself to eventual recycling. All 832 panels are made from recycled glass. The canopy’s concentric grid is supported by a spiral canopy, which Behmann explains is a material-saving construction: “As always, we work with the same mentality that architects such as Frei Otto and Buckminster Fuller, minimizing material efforts by imitating natural constructions and natural forms. ales of crescent.’
This passion for sustainability has certainly resonated with the Warburgs, who have championed biodynamic processes at Donum, along with regenerative farming practices such as composting, biochar, and livestock integration. “This pavilion perfectly matches what we strive to achieve: a holistic sensory experience based on our passions for wine, nature and art, design and architecture,” they say. “Design principles, set in Californian light, will create a sensory experience that draws on Donum’s engagement with the natural world, to enhance the experience for all of our visitors.” §