Democracy Bench Proposal

DEMOCRACY BENCH PROPOSAL

The Hi Bench.

 

The idea for the Hi Bench is that Democracy is useless without communication.

 

The Democratic system allows individuals to have a choice, and communicate it via the casting of a vote. The system only works when coupled with the right of

free-speech (and the existence of a free-press) to allow for people to absorb enough information to make an informed choice.

 

The right of free-speech isn't of any use if we cannot initiate open and equal discussions with the other citizens of our Democracy. All we need to do to start conversations is make contact. The Hi Bench tries to do this for you. It says "Hi," to anyone who approaches it and in doing so breaks the ice between strangers, allowing conversations to begin freely and easily.

So the bench aims to stimulate the use of our right to free-speech as much as possible, and hopes to help the spread of information. Democracy isn't just about choice, it's about informed choice.

 

 

I intend the bench to be produced from folded sheet stainless steel,

manufactured by a metal worker in London. The result will be an incredibly durable product with a unique appearance.

I have sent the drawings to several companies and am awaiting their quotes, I'm expecting the quotes to be around the £1500 mark.

I'll email over the quotes as soon as they arrive.

 

If the quotes are outside the budget I can manufacture the bench myself in my own workshop using the very traditional method of slatted hardwood.  The bench would then have the look of a traditional bench with legs and a slatted top.

 

I have lots of questions about the project:

Who will be responsible for the maintenance of the bench?

Do you expect me to have liability insurance for the project? And if so will this need to come from the budget or would you expect me to pay it myself? Or is the organisation planning to take legal responsibility for the bench?

Is there a contract covering these issues?

Who will own the bench?

 

Public works like this can be a bit of a legal mine-field for everyone concerned...

I see that the council are involved, they should have standard procedures for public artworks like this, hopefully it's all really straightforward!

 

 

My name is Sebastian Craig.

I am an artist and designer and the director of i-cabin project space.

My practice is concerned with the transference of information into micro-architectures and often revolves around the production of furniture and mini-buildings.

 

I have attached some images of other recent projects including:

On the Implications of the Applications of Information, 2007, which was a set of 26 tables produced and installed in a school in Hertfordshire,

And

Visitors, 2008, which was a dance-floor and DJ installed in a gallery in Chicago.

 

My CV is online at

www.studiosc.co.uk/studiosccv.htm

Cheers

Sebastian
i-cabin, Clarendon Buildings, 11 Ronalds Road, London, N5 1XJ 07813 764 937 / www.i-cabin.co.uk

Attachment: Hi bench 2 (Sebastian Craig, 2009.jpg
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Attachment: Hi bench 3 (Sebastian Craig, 2009.jpg
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Attachment: Hi bench 4 (Sebastian Craig, 2009.jpg
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Attachment: Hi bench in situ (Sebastian Craig, 2009.jpg
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Attachment: Hi bench in situ 2 (Sebastian Craig, 2009.jpg
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Attachment: Hi bench in situ 3 (Sebastian Craig, 2009.jpg
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Attachment: Hi bench manufacture drawing 1 (Sebastian Craig, 2009.jpg
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Attachment: Hi bench manufacture drawing 3 (Sebastian Craig, 2009.jpg
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Attachment: ON THE IMPLICATIONS OF THEAPPLICATIONS OF INFORMATION (detail)2.JPG
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Attachment: On the Physical Implications ofthe Applications of information (detail), Sebastian Craig, 2006.JPG
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Attachment: Visitors (installation with DJ).JPG
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