As one of the students participating in an interface design program, Berlin-based artist Fabian Brunsing designed this rather remarkable privatized bench in public space. To sit on it comfortably, you have to insert a € 0,50 coin. After paying, the pins that prevent people from sitting on the bench will disappear automatically. After a couple of minutes a sound warns the sitter for the end of his/her sitting time, and the pins rise again. Interesting about this ‘Pay & Sit’ bench is that local governments can take big profits from it, and extend control over public space. Perhaps it will be a next step in privatization of public space. Imagine the number of people using this service, which is currently free of charge. Although I like the project I hope it won’t be a large succes, but it could be working at the most crowded places in city centers.
The project expressed in the video below shows is made during a collaboration between the interface design programme of the FH Potsdam and the Parsons School of Design in New York. The aim of this class was to develop urban interventions. The students were asked to define design opportunities in the urban landscape and develop a video prototype that communicates with the intervention.
10 Comments
Allowing a person to sit is not a service.
Not everything has to be monetized.
Jesus.
Oh, oh, I know. Far too many people these days are comfortably walking down city sidewalks for free. Let’s have volunteers follow people with airhorns, blasting them in their ears during any time they haven’t paid to not have said airhorns blasted. Think of all the people that would use that service!
Yeah, who cares about deaf people, right?
Bench costs money, gotta to pay to sit. It is the same as car parking charge. I will not be surprised, especially after RyanAir was considering very seriously charging for use of lavatories in flight. I have always been wondering what people who want to save would do then. Pee into a bottle and poo into a plastic bag in a corner?
Gee .. The whole idea screams a lawsuit.. or civil action suit, when 1 or 50 people get those sharp items poked in places .. you get the idea.
The cost of running a motorized bench is likely more then it’s worth, and there would be individuals who would vandalize them, just becuase.
Frankly, the governments are so gear towards the all mighty dollar.
Why not just charge a “toll” to walk, sit and enjoy nature.. This all screams concrete jungle…
there is too much greed in the world today and it thrives in USA where it was borne.
Don’t you realise that some brainless council worker is going to pick this idea up, and before you know it, you have just lost another bit of freedom. WAKE UP STUPID!!! DON’T EVEN JOKE ABOUT THINGS LIKE THIS…
“governments can take big profits from it’
If the government is profiting from it how is it private?
Yeah, Gary.
Greed was invented in a small town in northern Iowa in 1987.
I would simply place a board over-top of the spikes.
That’s not a design opportunity! Design in public spaces is made for EVERYONE, not for those who are willing to pay 50 cents to sit on a bench. I’m not sure that the guy who did this was aware of the subversive message he could be sending to greedy city responsibles… The project is weak.
@ bob : that’s design ; )
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