Challenging Gormley from a park bench in Camden
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My weekly Time Out column, Bench Marks, has always been about real lives; the idea that no-one is boring. And a few weeks ago, reading about Anthony Gormley’s 4th Plinth, I had something of a light bulb moment: could his concept – to give the supposedly ordinary a chance to be represented – be transposed to a park bench in a disused shop in Camden Town?
Offering a democratic wooden platform for everyone and anyone seemed a fitting, lively climax to a year covering the quiet stories commemorated by London’s park benches. Coinicidentally, I discovered, along Chalk Farm Road, that a company called Camden Town Unlimited was busy taking over vacant shops and turning them into ‘creative spaces’; a quick meeting with the boss later, Tales From A Park Bench was born.
So, in the bare spaces of the C22 gallery on Chalk Farm Road, we will install a park bench for a week, from Aug 3-9, and invite locals, strangers, tourists, musicians, artists, businessmen, housewives, writers and everyone else to come along and do whatever: tell a story, tell a joke, sing a song, tell it like it is. You don’t have to register, you don’t have to book. You don’t even have to say a word.
People will simply be encouraged to engage in story in some way. A litter bin installed by the bench will brim over with hundreds of crumpled photocopies of the 60 Bench Marks columns, which you can read, chuck on the floor, or take home with you. In fact, you can do anything you like.
So what if no-one actually uses the bench at all? It’s a risk we take. But at least every evening will be unique. Whilst the world media spotlight is on the 4th Plinth, I like the fact that our little project will be going on simultaneously in Camden Town, a true celebration of regular lives and real life. Then again, it may just be a bunch of drunks in a room slugging back beer.
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10 comments
Yes, please do - there should be an interesting mixture of stuff going on. And you never know, you might be inspired to take to the bench after all!
what a great idea - don't know if i have anything to offer but I'll definitely drop by to see what's going on!
Thanks Cathy - bring your guitar and tell all your friends....!
Loving this - sounds like you'll get a great mixture of people. I'll be there, and might bring my guitar if I'm feeling brave! Good luck!
Eddie L is my husband and after talking about his idea of taking the Park Bench national and how, he told me about trying to use the Post Office as a sponsor. Good idea I said but to do that you would have a mass of civil service and political inertia to move. Why not try tody's cutting edge version, an ISP such as Google. A very profitable organisation, (unlike what we are told about the PO) the founders claim to have a mindset to spread access to information and opinion across the Globe, and there would be few internal fences to jump if they decided to get involved. One possible problem I see at moment is time. Early August could be to soon. So how about aiming for WC Monday 31st August. A Bank Holiday Monday but 3 days later we have the 70th Anniversary of the declairation of War heralding the start of the WW2. An age when men of power sort to blanket the world in an age of darkness and mind , and body control. Afterwards the park benchs could be donated to local parks, schools, play schools, hospital grounds etc.
So can you forward to the bosses of Google and get the bench speaking, local man/woman, to local man /woman free of political or any other sort of shackles.
Thanks for support on idea of taking the benchs National. How to, as you ask is quite a big question. The first thing we would want to do involve an organisation that is present in very town city, village, and borough in the land. What we would not want to do is use one that is political.So that rules out all and I mean all political parties, and unions although I except that some unions are not affiliated to any political party they still have an leaning towards the left of centre and we would not want to have any pressure one way or another on the content coming from the bench. ( Before I'm accussed of wishing to suppress any left wing sentiment that may come of the bench I will add that I have been a trade unionist all my 40 working years and an activist for close on 20 years with a large portion of that as a branch officer.) The institution that I would like to help get this idea up and running is one which has a presence in almost every town village etc in the land is also involved in delivery of peoples thoughts although in a more private person to person manner is the Post Office. Does anyone out there know who we should approach ?
You got it, Eddie - no-one on the bench is toeing any line - in fact we have no idea exactly what will happen - which is what makes it so exciting. It's a great idea of yours to do it nationally - any idea how?
why report the comment by Jan Luff as inappropriate? The basis idea of the benchs is great, why restrict it to Camden. This idea has national potential. Perhaps every Town and City in the UK should have one. Their own version of "Speakers Corner." It is very hard these days for voices that don't toe one excepted line or another to find a medium for public expresion.
Thanks Jan - Reading sounds like a great idea! Come to Camden though...it's not far.
WHAT A FANTASTIC IDEA!!!!!!
CAN YOU SET UP A BENCH IN READING NEXT TIME?
BEST OF LUCK
JAN