The curator and artistic director of the Serpentine Galleries, London, on morning jogs, the Snowdon Aviary and meeting older artists

Sunday with Hans Ulrich-Obrist: ‘I go to London Zoo – mostly for the architecture’

A morning routine? A run in Kensington Gardens in London, followed by 15 minutes of reading. Then breakfast. My morning ritual is the same every day, although on Sunday I might sleep until 7am. During the week I’m up much earlier.

Breakfast in or out? We never cook at home; there are books all over the kitchen. I’ve even curated shows in it. My partner, Koo Jeong A, and I have coffee and a conversation out every morning. On Sundays we talk for longer, picking a new spot every time.

A day out? To London Zoo. I like to visit the animals, but it’s mostly for the architecture. The Snowdon Aviary was designed by Cedric Price, Frank Newby and Antony Armstrong-Jones in the 1960s. What’s extraordinary is how it moves with the weather. It’s my favourite structure in the capital.

Do you work? I visit artists’ studios. My week is full of meetings, dinners and performances. On Sunday, I meet artists in the spaces they work in. It’s liberated time, a moment of delinking.

How were Sundays spent growing up? We lived in eastern Switzerland, near Lake Constance – waters shared by three countries. I spent a lot of time crossing borders – Germany, Austria – surrounded by a whole host of languages.

A favourite spot? Café de Flore in Paris. I love it not for the food or the drinks, but for the life-changing conversations and encounters I’ve had there. It’s where my partner and I had our first rendezvous.

And Sunday night? There’s no routine. If I’m visiting a city for research I try to meet older artists, to record their history. I prepare my Instagram for the week ahead, too. I post notes and doodles from artists, architects and poets. We live in an age of extinction. I want to celebrate things that disappear.