Who Wants to Bench? – a call for proposals
The Call for Proposals
The People have Spoken! 180 people used a game of Who Wants to Be to decide to commission a ‘democracy bench’. download the commission brief here!
Background
On the 7th November 2008, 180 people paid £10 each, and gathered in the Unicorn Theatre, London Bridge, to decide what to do with £1800 of their box office takings in a game of Who Wants to Be…? – the ‘ask the audience’ game show. You can read about that here.
After much discussion and many ideas, they decided to use the money to commission a ‘democracy bench’ for a London park. This is the call for proposals. If you think you can design and build a bench for £1700 – please make a submission! If you know anyone who might be interested – please let them know!
The Brief
You can download the brief here (and forward it to people who might be interested!
The brief is very open – the audience wanted a ‘democracy bench’ in a London park, which could mean many things. They also mentioned commemorating the event with a brass plaque bearing audience member’s names, but that’s just an idea. Your bench might encourage them to talk, vote or to sit and reflect on their civic duties… Democracy is the theme, but your bench might be a satirical anti-democracy political statement – seating 2 people or 200 people. It’s up to you.
Materials
If it’s meant for a London Park, materials should be very durable – unless you want it to bio-degrade or something. In any case, please be considered about the materials you choose.
Location
London Borough of Southwark has very helpfully agreed to house the bench in the beautiful Chumleigh Gardens, an historic and muchÂÂÂloved public space, so do read up on it for further inspiration read about the park, or look at some pics.
Budget
We have raised £1800 for the commission, but don’t let that cramp your creativity. If your design is really great, but will cost more – tell us and perhaps we can raise it.
How to apply
Please send us an application to bench@whowantstobe.co.uk , including the following:
- A description of your bench, mentioning your approach to the requirements, materials and any location details.
- Please outline a budget – how much will which bits cost? Perhaps we can help with some in-kind support so let us know what you need to make it happen.
- Tell us about yourself! Are you the right person to make this bench? Have you got any experience of doing stuff like this before?
- Any images, links, drawing, video or other supplementary materials describing your bench.
If you would prefer to send hard copies, mail or bring them to:
Bench Commission
c/o The People Speak
17-25 Cremer St.
London E9 5PH
Timetable and selection process
What happens next: Once all the applications are in, each person who donated their £10 will be able to discuss and vote on their favourite benches in an online poll. The winner will be announced at the end of March. You can then follow the progress, design, build and installation of the bench on this website.
If you have any comments or questions, please contact us.
Audience members!
If you didn’t give us your email addresses, please contact us and we will give you voting privileges on the commission judging website. If you have any further comments, requests, or ideas, please feel free to post them as comments below, and you can vote on your favourite comments and ideas – to help the bench designers with their applications!
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