Jaume Plensa, born 1955 in Barcelona, Spain, is one of the world’s foremost sculptors working in the public space, with over 30 projects spanning the globe in such cities as Chicago, Dubai, London, Liverpool, Nice, Tokyo, Toronto, and Vancouver. Over the past 25 years, the artist has produced a rich body of work in the studio and the public realm. By combining conventional sculptural materials (glass, steel, bronze, aluminum) with more unconventional media (water, light, sound, video), and frequently incorporating text, Plensa creates hybrid works of intricate energy and psychology. From his delicately textured, intimate works on paper like his 2005-06 series of ethnographic portraits that resemble worn, 19th century photographs to monumental outdoor sculptures like Nomade (2007) and a range of cityscape-altering public projects like the Crown Fountain in Chicago (2000-05), Plensa’s work takes many forms.

Norman Foster was born in Manchester, England in 1935. He received his architectural training at Manchester University School of Architecture, which he entered at age 21, and Yale University. He worked with Richard Rogers and Sue Rogers and his wife, Wendy Foster, as a member of “Team 4″ until Foster Associates was founded in London in 1967. The “High Tech” vocabulary of Foster Associates shows an uncompromising exploration of technological innovations and forms. The firm’s work also shows a dedication to architectural detailing and craftsmanship. Their designs emphasize the repetition of industrialized “modular” units in which prefabricated off-site-manufactured elements are frequently employed. The firm often designs specialist components for individual projects.