The 29-year-old sculptor's first inspirations were Lego blocks and a Hornby (no relation) train set that 'nearly electrocuted' him. Nick grew up in Shepherd's Bush with a mother who was a model and actress, and a circuit judge father. In 2008, he won the Clifford Chance Sculpture Award.
How did you start out?
After my MA show I won the sculpture award and £3,000 cash. Then a fat lawyer sat on one of my sculptures and broke it so I got another £3,000, which paid for my first six months of projects. Now I actually sell stuff.
Who to?
I recently sold my pink castle sculpture to David Roberts, a major contemporary art collector. I'll be having my first solo show in 2010 at the Alexia Goethe gallery in Dover Street.
What inspires you?
Jacob Epstein's Rush of Green sculpture in Knightsbridge was inspiring until they removed it to build a tower block. At the moment I love Tony Cragg, Rodin and Brancusi.
How much do your pieces cost?
I sell at different levels. Recently one sold for £8,000.
Charles Saatchi or Nicholas Serota?
Serota. The Tate is the most monumental thing and I really believe in it as an institution.
Four things you'd never exhibit?
My paintings, my drawings and things that look sloppy (unless they're supposed to) and my big nose (that's why I wear my glasses half way down my face).
What would you do for your art?
I've already made a life-size slice of a Boeing 727, and transported my pink castle on a barge from the Trellick Tower to Camley Street Natural Park in King's Cross. Basically, I'd do anything.
Any relation to Nick Hornby the novelist?
No, but he gets rung up by friends who are surprised that he is doing a 'performance with a cello and a car' in a gallery in Deptford, and equally I get invited to dinner at The Ivy and to speak at book festivals in Zurich.
What's next?
A sculpture at the South Bank this summer inspired by the Hayward Gallery's Walking in my Mind Exhibition. Expect something big.