Day 202 of 366: Mind the Curves

London's Southbank becomes a playground every summer. There is always something interesting to see and a lot of fun to have. This year one of the highlights are Modified Social Benches created by a Danish artist Jeppe Hein. The bright orange benches with some most diverse and unusual shapes are scattered along the riverside and the Southbank Centre. Here is what the artist says about this piece of his work:

Out of investigating architecture, communication, and social behaviour in the urban space, a series of bench designs was born under the common title Modified Social Benches. The bench designs borrow their basic form from the ubiquitous park or garden bench, but are altered to various degrees to make the act of sitting a conscious physical endeavour. With their modifications, the benches transform their surroundings into places of activity rather than rest and solitude; they foster exchange between the users and the passers-by, thus lending the work a social quality. Due to their alterations, the benches end up somewhere between a dysfunctional object and a functional piece of furniture, and therefore demonstrate the contradiction between artwork and functional object.

I think they are fun to look at and some quite a challenge to sit on. Simply enjoyable pieces of art.

Mind the Curves

Summer in the city is full of surprise views. I used to put away my camera when the sun was shining but I am learning to love any conditions that a day brings. It makes each day different. And more fun.

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  1. What a wonderful, voluptuously-shaped shadow! I saw these benches on my recent trip to London and was intrigued by the shapes, although I found the fluorescent orange colour a bit jarring.

    1. Thank you very much, Gilly. I found the benches real fun. I am not a big fan of modern art, but these were really intriguing. The orange does shine from the distance, but as they are fun to photograph and use, I didn’t mind. It’s funny to watch how people try to use them too.

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