The Fife bench

I am currently working on a series of benches for Fife in Scotland. The benches will be installed within the next year in a number of parks and public spaces. In fact five sites in Fife on the Firth of Forth.

The Fife bench project is an initiative of the Fife Housing Association Alliance, devised by public art commissioning agency PACE.

I am working on the project with another designer, Chris Eckersley. It was Chris who originally set up the Bodging Milano project. Nick Farr is also working with us on the project. He is a local man with a good understanding of local manufacturers. Nick works for the Fife Ecology Centre.

Our intention is to design a bench that connects to the local people through their history, outlook, landscape or attitude. A bench that meets the local demands for attractive, comfortable and most importantly durable seating. The bench must be able to be produced in batches by local Fife manufacturers so that it can continue to be installed in the area long after our input is over. It is also hoped that the benches can be ‘exported’ to other public spaces in the UK, marketed as the ‘Fife bench’.

We have now completed the initial concept design stage for the project and will shortly begin the full development of the design. I’ll keep you posted.