As part of their retrospective exhibition ‘Designing the Extraordinary’ at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2012, Heatherwick studio designed a temporary canopy in front of the main entrance to the museum on Cromwell Road in London.

Above the shallow steps and ramps where people gather and pass through, 208 custom-made white traffic cones were woven into a draping canopy. Turning what were ordinary objects from the pavement literally upside down and transforming them into hanging glistening stalactites above, the canopy was a playful addition to the impressively grand façade of the museum, welcoming visitors through the summer months.

Photography by Laurence Dudeney.