Heavy Metal

The technical wizardry behind Paul Cocksedge’s furniture and lighting installations can cast spells. For his first solo exhibition, at New York’s Friedman Benda gallery from September 12 through October 12, the 35-year-old British design prodigy has created a steel table that weighs a half-ton but looks as pliable as a sheet of paper, a room whose rainbow-colored ceiling fades to white as you walk through it, and a radiant dome lamp without any discernible bulbs. Looking up at its smooth lunar surface, one can only wonder what, or who, is at work behind the eerie glow.

Photo: Mark Cocksedge