“Even in a white-walled gallery in New York City’s gallery district, Paul Cocksedge’s work is unapologetically nerdy. It doesn’t first appear that way. In fact, his work looks very designer-y, in the sense that it’s meticulously crafted into aesthetic perfection. But the London-based designer, who recently opened his first solo exhibition at the Friedman Benda gallery, has always been attracted to the principles of science and the natural world. “There’s so much beauty in nature and physics and the world around us,” he says. “It’s just about packaging them and moving them into different contexts that makes people see them in different ways.” ¶ Cocksedge’s new show Capture, is full of perception-tweaking pieces that are made possible because of the fusion between science and beauty. Perhaps the most perplexing is Poised, a steel table that appears to be teetering delicately on its edge, moments from toppling over. Made from 1000 lbs of steel, the piece was actually inspired by the way a piece of paper can often be found poised on its tips, just before blowing over by a light gust of wind. “The initial model was just me rolling a piece of paper,” he explains.” - × × ×