public seats
Public life, unexpected encounters, exchange and interaction characterize the traditional concept of the street as the stage of the everyday. This image has, however, changed today, and the street has become primarily a hectic traffic route, which serves consumption and commerce. With his action the artist creates new possibilities and stimuli to sit and linger. Passersby in Sydney’s Chinatown would have the possibility to activate 12 to15 beverage crates cast in aluminum and topped with cushions. The provisional stools call for the typical style of sitting of certain ethnic groups, below the body’s center of gravity, and make standing up difficult. With the assistance of GPS systems it is possible to locate the seats as well as document their migrations, groupings and dispersals, even up to their ultimate disappearance. Stories and myths around their destination would result and in turn inspire discussion. (JO)