When seated on a bench, we become partially ‘public’ by association, in the same way that we become a ‘supporter’ at a football match or a ‘dog-lover’ at Crufts.

This ‘belonging’ or ‘public ownership’ exposes us to a heightened level of public scrutiny. We feel curiously, and unexpectedly, exposed and vulnerable.By becoming an accessory to the smallest component in the urban fabric we also lose the status that we might have felt walking purposefully by.

"Help! I don’t have any reason for being here....."

While arousing our curiosity about its contents, attracting us to use the bench, this device simultaneously addresses our sense of diminished status.

Oliver 06/2007