How do you change the creative brief? You start with play. The designer Thomas Heatherwick was asked to create a monumental public work for the plaza of vast new development in the heart of Manhattan. The expected route would be to copy what’s worked before on other plazas in other cities – a statue, a fountain. But Heatherwick knew he had to push past what was expected. Spark & Fire follows the journey of “Vessel,” a massive piece of public art, from its roots in traditional Indian forms, to its sophisticated construction and multi-year assembly, to its reception by the public – a complicated story that is still unfolding. It’s a story of creative bravery, play, and persistence – at the drawing board and in the meeting room.
Thomas Heatherwick is the principal of Heatherwick Studio, based in central London. The studio is known equally for bravura projects like the Seed Cathedral, Vessel, and the new Little Island over the Hudson, and for thoughtful, human-scaled commercial and residential developments small and large, like the delightful, award-winning Maggie’s Leeds.
Follow along (with transcript and amazing photos) at https://sparkandfire.com/vessel
Subscribe to the Spark & Fire weekly newsletter for images, stories and creative prompts: http://eepurl.com/hkmyMr
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Introducing: Offsite Adventures
Create from joy: Writer Phoebe Robinson on "You Can’t Touch My Hair"
5 ways to handle creative conflict
Get to the fun part: Game creators Matthew Inman and Elan Lee on Exploding Kittens
Trust creates gold: Comedian David Cross on “Arrested Development”
Let emotion be your North Star: Composer Kris Bowers
5 strategies for overcoming failure
Fight for your dream: Comedian Cristela Alonzo
Find the people who see your dream: Actor Aasif Mandvi
Always be iterating: Pomplamoose’s Jack Conte & Nataly Dawn
Take responsibility for your creativity: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
5 strategies for starting something new
Tell a universal truth: “Wicked” composer Stephen Schwartz
Sweat the details: Punchdrunk artistic director Felix Barrett
Embrace your inner weirdo: Pixar’s Domee Shi on “Turning Red”
Generosity creates magic: “Frozen” songwriters Robert Lopez & Kristen Anderson-Lopez
Replenish your sense of meaning: Musician Kayhan Kalhor on “Silent City"
Find what you need to fuel your work: Mark Bradford’s “Unicorn Tapestries”
Commit to your best work (always!): Novelist Ann Patchett on “The Dutch House”
How to recover your creative voice: Comedian Patton Oswalt on “Annihilation” & “I Love Everything”
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Masters of Scale
Meditative Story
Pride and Prejudice
Anne of Avonlea
Should This Exist?