A striking new pavilion has been unveiled in Cary Park, located in Cary, North Carolina. Created by Marc Fornes / THEVERYMANY, this architectural piece is named “L’Ile Folie.” The title references the concept of a folly, an ornamental structure popular among affluent estate owners during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Traditionally, follies were purely decorative, often designed to resemble nostalgic ruins like miniature castles or quaint village buildings, serving little practical purpose. However, Fornes reinterprets this tradition with a forward-looking approach rather than a retrospective one. According to a statement, the pavilion infuses this historical practice with a modern twist, making it “memorable, playful, and slightly surreal.”
Fornes is distinguished for his high-tech constructions composed of thousands of individual facets, blurring the lines between architecture and sculpture. Positioned along a boardwalk and overlooking a pond, the pavilion’s shining white surface invites visitors to engage with their natural environment through a contemporary lens.
“Constructed from ultra-thin folded aluminum panels, each piece is digitally fabricated and precisely riveted into place,” notes a statement. “There is no hidden frame; the skin is the structure. Thousands of perforations filter sunlight into delicate patterns, turning the canopy into an ever-changing atmosphere of shadow and shimmer.”
Discover more on THEVERYMANY’s Instagram and Vimeo.
