British designer Thomas Heatherwick has been hailed as a genius for the uniquely inventive nature of his work. Trained at London's Royal College of Art, Heatherwick's practice encompasses projects ranging in scale from very small to monumental, from products to public sculpture to architecture.
The UCLA Hammer Museum exhibition “Provocations: The Architecture and Design of Heatherwick Studio” — which closes on Sunday, May 24 — examines the astonishing range of the studio’s practice by focusing on the design concepts behind small products such as the handbag designed for Longchamp and his rotation-molded "Spun" chairs, as well as large public and private architectural projects in the U.K.,U.S., Abu Dhabi, South Africa, Singapore, and China. These include, among many other projects, the U.K. Pavilion, known as the Seed Cathedral at the 2010 World Expo; a new distillery for Bombay Sapphire gin; a Learning Hub for Nanyang Technological University in Singapore; and a contemporary art museum created within a historic grain silo. Heatherwick Studio is recognized for its inventive approach to design, often combining novel engineering with new materials and innovative technology to create unusual, often sculptural, building forms. Find more information and view a slide show here.
Also closing May 24 at the Hammer is “Charles Gaines: Gridwork 1974-1989.” Learn more here.
Admission is free. Find Hammer hours and visitor information here.
