Public is sitting pretty

THE partnership between nongovernmental organisation and citizen-led initiative, Cool Capital Biennale 2014 and PPC Cement, didn’t only lead to concrete results for citizens and visitors to Tshwane looking for somewhere to sit, it also provided designers with a novel new creative outlet and the city with 10 interesting new pieces of functional art.

The objective of the Cool Capital PPC Cement public bench project, which received the Innovation Award, was to reflect the diversity in creative heritage that Pretoria has to offer and to create a sense of community to all who gaze and/or sit on the benches.

By activating public spaces, says architect at PPC Cement, Daniel van der Merwe, the project gives people the opportunity to engage with one another and/or to reflect on the environment. As functional art pieces, the benches add value and a richness to urban spaces. And, because they’re made of concrete using PPC Portland Cement, they should last for years to come.

“A bench can be many things,” says Van der Merwe. “It creates opportunity for forms of human activity and interactions. It can be a place to trade, to rest, to reflect, to read, to meet or to observe. The bench is one of the most potent interventions to activate neglected public spaces.”

The benches were selected from designs submitted by artists and manufactured and installed within one year. The benches, each featuring a small ceramic coin with information about the designer and PPC Cement and Basa logos, can be found at the Pretoria Arts Association, the Pretoria Art Museum, Café Riche on Church Plain, the Gautrain Station in Hatfield, Viva Village in Mamelodi East and the Protea Gardens in Groenkloof.