From tomorrow, the V&A in London will be hosting an exhibition on British designer Thomas Heatherwick as part of the museum’s British Design season, which also includes the Ballgowns exhibition in the adjacent galleries. This is certainly not a retrospective by any means, seeing as the practice is still very young, but more a celebration of their studio. Making and creating are very central to the exhibition, with over 150 objects ranging from fully-functional models (the Rolling Bridge really does curl up as it does in real life, and will be demonstrated every Friday afternoon) to maquettes and test pieces that show the design process. The detail even goes down to the laser-cut labels that give off a vaguely smokey scent as you navigate the exhibition. On display is a section of a new London Routemaster bus, which recently started it’s first journey on the No. 38, juxtapositioned next to a modest plank of wood that geniusly folds into pieces of furniture. The exhibition is full of contrasts; small and large, polished and rough, smooth and sharp, finished and unfinished. It’s really like taking a walk through their studio.
Rolling Bridge, Paddington Basin, London, UK 2004 © Steve Speller
Teesside Power Station, Stockton-On-Tees, Teesside, UK 2011 © Heatherwick Studio
UK Pavilion Seed Cathedral, Shanghai Expo, China 2010 © Iwan Baan
New Bus For London, UK 2011 © Heatherwick Studio
All images courtesy of V&A unless otherwise specified
