Heatherwick’s solo show

Spanning architecture, installations, products furniture and – lest we forget – a London bus, the studio’s work can easily stand up to a solo exhibition. Indeed, it’s surprising that, given that Thomas Heatherwick founded his studio back in 1994, it’s taken so long for a museum to put on such a show.

More than 150 objects will be on display in the show, ranging from an original seed-tipped rod from the Seed Cathedral at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, to a full-scale detail of the new London double-decker bus.

There will be drawings and material fragments from large-scale projects such as the East Beach Café in Littlehampton and test models and complete pieces from smaller projects like the Rolling Bridge in Paddington.

Designed by Heatherwick Studio, with graphics by Here, and curated by the V&A’s Abraham Thomas, the show will aim to give a sense of walking through the Heatherwick workshop and archive. Objects – including maquettes, prototypes and models – will be grouped together in a series of ‘conceptual clusters’, each of which will be accompanied by film footage and audio clips.

Heatherwick Studio: Designing the Extraordinary, is at the V&A, London SW7, from 31 May-30 September 2012.