Thomas Heatherwick (b. 1970, England) is known for his adventurous and original use of manufacturing processes and materials across the disciplines of architecture, art and design. His projects push the boundaries of modern manufacturing, craft and design techniques as he tackles new ideas with unorthodox methods or untried materials. Be they large scale public works of art, designs of entire buildings, handbags or bridges, Heatherwick will always make each project a personal challenge to the conventional way of doing things. His public works tend to be flamboyant gestures which have the unusual ability to appeal to the man on the street as well as the high brow critic.

Heatherwick makes work that is often inspired by simple ideas which create a childlike wonder for the viewer. His ideas come from his endlessly questioning mind and a quest to always make a work differently combined with a love of powerful, organic forms. Heatherwick's most recent work is the world's first ever extruded piece of furniture, the early prototypes of which, can be seen at Haunch of Venison in late 2009.The pieces combine the graceful line created through the making process with random, gnarled endings - unique swirling forms created through the inherent termination of the extrusion process. As with all Heatherwick's work, the sheer physicality of the extruded furniture creates a sense of wonder, with these new, organic forms looking as if they have been pulled out from the earth's core.

Heatherwick's work include his Bleiglessen installation for the Welcome Trust in London in which 150,000 glass beads have been threaded onto nearly a million metres of stainless steel wire to create a shimmering sculpture of a frozen moment in time when molten metal has been dropped into water and photographed as it sinks into the water. Other recent work includes his rolling bridge in Paddington Basin, a 12 metre pedestrian bridge that slowly unfurls over the dock, a monastic building in Sussex and the British Pavilion for the Shanghai Expo in 2010.

Thomas Heatherwick lives and works in London and founded Heatherwick Studio in 1994. Today the practice operates from a combined studio and workshop in King's Cross, London where a team of architects, designers and makers work on projects ranging from bridges and buildings to products and large scale works of art. Since its inception the studio’s work has been recognized through a number of awards (including most recently, the RIBA National Award for East Beach Cafe) and its work is widely published and exhibited around the world.