Event Extra Credit - Thomas Heatherwick

Back about mid-March, I went to The Hammer Museum for their “Arts Party 2K15: Transferal”. This event was one of the more eccentric events I’ve been to, which made it all the more interesting. A DJ played deep house music in the center of the Hammer Museum courtyard as Desma students’ projection mapping animations were showcased on a gigantic screen behind the DJ. Interesting top-like chairs were scattered about the courtyard. Food and drinks were being sold, there were many booths that encouraged visitors to make their own artwork using different mediums such as clay and bandanas. Additionally, Theo, one of the TA’s for Desma 9 showcased his interactive virtual reality project which incorporated Oculus Rift hardware. It was very interesting to see such a large group of people connect and relate through such an event. I ran into people I knew making a stamp pattern on a bandana and made new friends laughing at how silly our clay sculptures looked.

Desma TA Theo posing for his interactive art piece - Taken by me

While exploring this event I stumbled into an exhibit displaying the work of Thomas Heatherwick, and English designer who has obtained the reputation as an “ideas engine” due to his astounding creativity.  After doing a little research, I learned that Thomas Heatherwick is the founder of Heatherwick Studio, an embodiment of the third culture. Heatherwick  Studio has explored architecture, furniture, urban planning, transportation and many more disciplines. In his work, there is no divide between science and art, rather the two complement each other to create something unique. Heaterwick Studio is a reaction to his frustration with our tendency to categorize different disciplines and isolate them from one another.

One of the first pieces I observed, was a design for a shaded park in Abu Dhabi inspired by the cracks formed in drying mud. This piece not only blends design and architecture, but architecture and the natural world.

Shaded Park Abu Dhabi - Taken by me

Another design was a drawbridge with the ability to roll up. And another design displayed was a model of a Mosque filled with hundreds of little lights. Everything I saw was awe inspiring. Every prototype, design, or structure that had already been built embodied a mixture of functionality and beauty. It was as if he had taken the substance of his dreams and asked himself, how can I make this a reality?

http://37.128.132.134/~hstudio/content/uploads/2013/02/rolling_bridge.1.jpg

http://37.128.132.134/~hstudio/content/uploads/2013/11/garden-bridge_th_500-450x450.jpg

It was refreshing and inspiring to see the success of an architect, engineer, etc, who was not completely logos driven. Obviously, an “efficient” way to build a drawbridge, would not involve going through the extra trouble of making it roll up, but it would rather be a normal bridge with a gate on either end. However, Heatherwick’s work directly contradicts this notion of creating for purely functional purposes. There is something about creating something as breathtaking as it is useful, and Heatherwick has made this a reality.

http://37.128.132.134/~hstudio/content/uploads/2013/10/Bleigiessen-Thumbnail-450x450.jpg

http://37.128.132.134/~hstudio/content/uploads/2013/10/n.ukpavilion-Thumbnail-450x450.jpg