It is always exciting watching a fresh idea spread its wings and fly to discover new people, attitudes and perspectives on things we already think we know.
This is what happened with the Big Bench. Everything started as a project amongst friends and neighbours, and now it is winning the hearts and passion of many people, that otherwise would probably not have imagined looking at the Italian mountains and vineyards sitting on an out-of-scale piece of outdoor furniture.
That’s the beauty in this kind of design. Objects become iconic not only because they are driven by a marketing machine, but because the intrinsic idea is so seductive and so easily achievable that it creates in itself the natural conditions for its duplication and distribution.
The Giant Benches are often first seen in photographs, but once you sit on one of them you get the feeling of enjoying the view “as if you were a child again”. You experience an intense feeling to be shared with others. The benches are made to relax on and instead of an armchair it is large enough to share with one or more friends. Sitting on a bench is a pleasant social gesture, and making good use of all the positive energy emanating from the Big Benches is the root of the BIG BENCH COMMUNITY PROJECT.
It would be wonderful if the Big Bench concept were to cross the peaceful confines of Piemonte. As our BIG RED BENCH #1 inspired enthusiasts to build more, maybe someday visitors coming from afar will carry away such a strong memory of the benches it will inspire them to replicate the concept. Maybe one day we will see a Peace Bench in a truly troubled part of the world, where the opportunity to sit, see things from a fresh per-spective and once again feel like a child, is desperately needed.
Chris Bangle
Clavesana 2014