The Big Smoke

We are on day four of Tales From A Park Bench, the installation which we hoped would 'challenge' Gormley’s 4th Plinth in giving the supposedly ordinary a chance to do whatever they wanted – but from a park bench, in a disused shop, in Camden Town. Everyone is invited, entrance is free and you don’t have to register to use the bench. You don’t even have to say a word, either, as an original 1940s litter bin installed by the bench brims over with 360 photocopies of every single Bench Marks column to read.

So far, the experiment has exceeded all our expectations, by turns funny, touching, and bizarre. From the minute we had lugged the bench by foot from my flat into its spartan temporary home (stripped floorboards, bare walls) the first batch of curious onlookers began to peer in through the sun-dappled windows – and filter through the door.

First to pose on the bench? Two-month-old baby Archie, who managed a fart, a gurgle and a smile for the camera – before the tears came and his mum Nikki scooped him up for a much-needed cuddle. By 6pm the room was buzzing and the first performer (rather than sitter), Walthamstow MC Chocolate Blonde, took to the bench to deliver her very funny (and catchy) instant classic ‘Dick On My Forehead.’ Things took a surreal turn when a slender passer-by, Ellie, stripped down to practise some yoga moves. 'I chose the tree pose as it seemed to connect to the wood of the bench and the paper,' she said afterwards.

Other participants showed off their diverse talents to an always warm-hearted crowd: a civil servant named Jenny hung upside down like a bat whilst fully rotating her tongue; a 50-year-old persuaded everyone to sing 'Happy Birthday' to her; softly spoken Diana delivered a Russian ballad, glass of wine in hand; rowdy French tourist Claudine sat on the bench ‘suffering constipation’; and Yohai Fellah lay flat as performed the haunting Israeli song, ‘The Flower In My Garden’.

One of the most popular performers was the poet Gabriel Alozie, who captivated listeners, as did Dave Miller, frontman of cult indie band How To Cure Dyslexia, aided by his violinist. But it was the evening's juxtaposition that made it work: local resident Debbie, who left everyone spellbound with her show tunes, was followed by the artist Primavera Boman, whose mother’s bench I had written about, and who previewed a short documentary about her incredible family history, aided by a portable DVD player.

And the award for bench-hogger of the evening? Jim Morrison lookey-likey Chris, who treated us all the rock ‘n’ roll, um, classics for over an hour… but then that’s the point, isn’t it? ‘Rant for a minute,’ it says clearly on the door, ‘rhapsodize for an hour.’

All week people have continued to drift in, offering us snapshots of their lives. Yesterday afternoon, four teen Goths from Worthing posed: ‘now I’m finally a piece of art’, said one. Film-maker Sarah enjoyed sitting on the bench ‘watching life go by in this unique scenario’. Then there was the lady from the Camden New Journal trying to persuade us to buy advertising space (er, right) as well as a steady stream of art students and American bloggers curious about what they’ve read online. But most poignantly, and a reminder of what is at the very heart of this project, was a visit from Alison Stevens, the mother of 26-year-old Peter who sadly died in 2007 (see www.benchpoetry.blogspot.com" target="_blank">www.benchpoetry.blogspot.com Jan 2009 for his story) and whose bench inscription commemorated ‘a musician and dreamer whose favourite place was Primrose Hill’ (the bench lies at its summit). Carefully sticking a colour photocopy of his story on the wall, alongside some information about the Hackney-based youth music charity started in his honour (The Peter Stevens Music Project) we were humbled that, at the heart of the Tales From A Park Bench installation, are the real, sometimes painful lives that we are both honouring and celebrating.

Tales From A Park Bench continues tonight until 10pm (Friday), and Saturday and Sunday until 7pm. On Friday night (6-10pm) we will be collecting for the Peter Stevens Music Project charity.

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