The humble wooden bench has been given a makeover, with designer Paul Cocksedge using more than 1,000 planks to create this huge installation in the heart of the city.
Please Be Seated was created for this year’s London Design Festival and is 15.5 metres across and 3.4 metres tall at its highest point.
The curving wooden structure, commissioned by developers British Land, is made up of 1,152 scaffolding planks and sits in the middle of Finsbury Avenue Square.
East London-based Cocksedge said: “Every single aspect of the installation is tailored to its environment as well as the function it serves.
“The curves raise up to create backrests and places to sit, as well as space for people to walk under, or pause and find some shade.
“It walks the line between a craft object and a design solution. It occupies the square without blocking it.”
This year’s festival opens tomorrow (September 14) with a series of specially-commissioned projects going on across the city.
First set up in 2003, last year’s festival drew in more than half-a-million visitors from more than 75 different countries.
