Spun by Thomas Heatherwick

By Teo van den Broeke

British designer Thomas Heatherwick is to open an exhibition of new work at London's Haunch of Venison Gallery this week.

Following on from last year's 'Extrusions' show - which featured a series of benches made from ribbons of extruded aluminum - Heatherwick's latest offering, 'Spun', will showcase a series of five, extra-terrestrial-style chairs.

Shown in both brushed and mirror-polished steel and copper, the chairs - all of which resemble gigantic spinning tops -- are formed from a single profile, rotated 360º.

Constructed from six separate cylindrical forms - made with metal spinning techniques, most commonly used to produce industrial kitchen equipment and timpani drums - Heatherwick then welds the component parts to create the spiralling volumes.

Part alien seating unit, part oversized plaything - the chairs can be angled to spin freely around the space. The peripheral edges of Heatherwick's chairs are cleverly rimmed with soft leather, to prevent damage to the floor.

31 March 2010 | Design