Shigeru Ban
Nigel Coates has consistently challenged the meaning of architecture and the object. His mission is to bring equal amounts of art and intelligence to architecture and design; whatever the space or the object, Coates will fill it with passion, irony and instinct. After training at the Architectural Association, soon Coates became an original design force; his inventive narratives have translated into many buildings, interiors and exhibitions around the world, particularly in the UK and in Japan. More experimental work has been shown in an art and design context, including such exhibits as Hypnerotosphere at the 11th Venice Architecture Biennale in 2008. Examples of his work are held in several museum collections including the Victoria & Albert Museum, Cooper Hewitt and FRAC. His book Guide to Ecstacity was published by Laurence King in 2003 and his latest, Narrative Architecture, was published by Wiley in 2012. Since 2007 he art directs Slamp.