bench project

If benches are, by definition, for use by more than one person……………. then why on earth are they all straight?

We appreciate that there is a place for the traditional “public” bench – they are always straight, a bit visually unexciting and often not actually that comfy but people choosing a memorial bench for their loved one in the park normally go for the oak ones so they obviously hold a special place in the public’s heart.

Our proposition, however, is that some benches in some key hub locations should be different:

• Our benches are designed in messy art workshops with local community groups so the benches fulfil their needs- this also encourages people to feel ownership of the finished bench.
• They are then hand-made by me with a locally-tailor-made galvanised steel sub-frame (cos it breaks my heart to see all the legs rotting off all the benches in all the parks just because councils don’t add metal feet!)
• English oak is used for the slats for the seat and back- the slat design means the wood can quickly air-dry after it rains (so that the wood lasts for decades!) while it also simplifies and minimises maintenance.
• We only use English oak (quercus robur) as it outlasts all other native sustainable timbers (how old is the door on your local church?) and our oak is needs-must felled locally by the volunteers of the fantastic Greenways Countryside Project (no transporting timber half-way around the world for us!).  We did experiment excitedly with recycled plastic but it not only lacks rigidity as a material (it soon sags under its own weight) but it is also, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, much less eco-friendly than sustainable timber like ours.

And when installed:

• The unique, original designs of our benches draw people to sit on them.
• Our trademark curviness means people sit aligned in a way that encourages…. but doesn’t force…. conversation.
• People linger longer out of doors in a convivial, community-friendly space that is free-to-use and democratic……. helping to turn a hub into a hubbub……. with all the wellbeing gains that brings.

So, can someone please tell me: why on earth are all the other benches straight?

Click “Read on” for news of our 2020 Munnings Museum/Dedham Vale AONB/Arts Council project….

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