A democratic form of seating
A thing or ting (Old Norse, Old English and Icelandic: þing; other
modern Scandinavian languages: ting) is the name of the oldest forms of
democracy in the world.
My idea is not so much a bench but a number of seats joined together in
a circle. The seats are oiled hardwood stumps shaped and sanded into
stools. The stools are on heavy duty castor wheels, attached to a
circular metal track installed flush to the ground level. This means
that the stools can move around on the circular track.
A large number of different arrangements of groupings and positions are
possible, even with just seven seats, which just goes to show how
complicated democracy can be. Several possible patterns of seating are
shown above, i.e. solidarity, left, right, moderate, radical, diverse,
majority/minority and so on.
Some people may try to stay in the centre, but end up on the left or
right because other people have moved around (that's politics, I
suppose).
Read
the full proposal PDF here
499 Comments
This site is for gathering proposals for a 'democracy bench', and for an online jury of 180 people to vote on it. The winning proposal gets £1800 to make it happen.
Very cool.Ill have a look later. Fast cash loans today...Nice post.Ill check it out later today. I take photos of myself. Come...check out the full proposal for Art in the Parks ideas. The bench in the...Valid point about 1/5 of a seat each. Lets hope we can make these large...Halfadrop: you did see the full PDF didn't you?
Very cool indeed!
Wish I could see more than the provided...Hello genkitm and destrin. glad you like my idea. i created this design...This flexible design creates a space to encourage democracy and much more....
Wish I could see more than the provided...Hello genkitm and destrin. glad you like my idea. i created this design...This flexible design creates a space to encourage democracy and much more....
Comments
I think this is a really cool idea. Fun, flexible and fitting to the theme. Has the designer been able to come up with a more thorough costing plan?
This would get my vote in an instant if we confirm it can come in under budget, it appears very conceptual at the moment so I don't know if further investigation has yet happened?
Hello genkitm and destrin. glad you like my idea. i created this design especially for this commission, in direct response to the brief, so its as much your idea as mine. I have sent my sketches to an outdoor furniture designer who makes things out of green oak, to see if he can make this for your budget, though i have to say that in terms of materials, construction and finishes my proposal would be a professionally craftsmen built piece at the affordable end of the ideas presented on this website. As this design would be executed by professional designers and makers, the cost would include a guarantee of design and workmanship which indemnifies you against anything going wrong and increases your chances of being allowed to install the finished piece in the public domain. Also inclusive to the costs would be my proven advice and experience - the last permanent outdoor piece I built was 6 metres tall and 18 metres in diameter and took 4 years of negotiation to obtain permission to erect it. Finally, note that my costings will also include ground work to foundations and fixings as this is an integral part of my design. These 'hidden' costs (i.e. public liability/professional indemnity, concrete for foundations, etc) may not be allowed for in the costs provided by others, so i would advise that you examine all cost estimates provided very carefully before using them as a basis to make a decision.
best of luck with this wonderful project. vote wisely!
john kennedy, landlab
Very cool indeed!
Wish I could see more than the provided sketch tho...
Halfadrop: you did see the full PDF didn't you?
http://whowantstobe.co.uk/bench_entries/pdfajr45vBayr.pdf