Cocksedge studied under Ron Arad at the Royal College of Art, and was nominated for Designer of the Year by London's Design Museum in 2004, just two years after graduation. He established Paul Cocksedge Studio with Joana Pinho in the same year, and the practice has participated in design festivals around the world, adding playfulness to technologically ingenious sculptures and installations (Drop, Bourrasque and SestoSenso), as well as permanent structures – such as the Living Staircase for Ampersand, the state-of-the-art creative office development in Soho, London. Cocksedge's ever-popular interactive piece KISS has travelled across the globe, from Milan to Shanghai, and in 2016 he created a light installation for London's Sir John Soane's Museum, which immersed visitors in a golden glow.
Pushing the possibilities of materials is a recurring theme in Cocksedge's work, with his Freeze series made from metals that wouldn't otherwise adhere seamlessly bonded together using freezing temperatures. His studio has also developed a unique range of products, including the award-winning bluetooth speaker The Vamp®, and the innovative Double O bicycle light.
Cocksedge presented his first solo show, Capture, at the Friedman Benda Gallery in New York in 2013, returning to the gallery in 2015 for a second major exhibition entitled Freeze. At Milan design week 2017 he showcased a collection of concrete and glass furniture – EXCAVATION: Evicted for Friedman Benda in collaboration with Beatrice Trussardi – made from material extracted from his own studio's foundations.
In 2018, Cocksedge was shortlisted to design the UK Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, chosen from a longlist of over a hundred other entries. Other notable recent projects include designing Swire Properties' VIP Lounge at Art Basel Hong Kong (2019), and creating a light installation for fashion brand COS's Coal Drops Yard retail space (2019). As part of an extensive list of ongoing projects, he is working on a major public installation for London Design Festival, commissioned by British Land, Broadgate and made using recycled scaffolding planks, as well as completing a 45-foot outdoor sculpture, inspired by our changing perception of paper, for the Central Norman Public Library Branch in Oklahoma, USA. His 33-metre long sculptural sun shade, created for the Oman Botanic Garden, is also nearing completion.
Cocksedge has collaborated with a wide range of partners, from major brands such as British Land, Swire Properties, Arup, Swarovski, Fendi, NHS, BMWto private clients. His work is included in museum collections around the world, including the V&A, MoMA and Vitra Design Museum.
Accolades include: Wallpaper* Design Award for Best of Big Chill for Freeze Desk, Design Museum Design of the Year nomination for Double O bike light, Moët Hennessy PAD London prize for Best Contemporary Design Object, Homes & Gardens Product and Innovation Designer for The Vamp, German Design Council Awards to BMW for Sestosenso, Elle Decoration British Design Awards nomination in the Best British Sustainable Design Category.
