The bench project

Hialeah lacks in public spaces that promote a democratic sociability. Benches are the minimum common denominator when it comes to sociability among strangers and casual acquaintances. Cities like New York and Barcelona are typical examples of an urban bench culture, usually linked to the spread of pedestrian practices.

Hialeah does have a pedestrian culture that remains unacknowledged and underserved. The glaring lack of benches as both places for social interaction and resting stops is not due to a non existing need, but to an unacknowledged need.  Many plazas and public areas were converted during a previous city administration into sports fields or strict children playground that do not allow for informal interactions and young and old hangout. In informal conversations with elderly people, many pointed at this lack of benches, both to socialize and to rest when walking a distance -something that both the elderly and the young do as they are less likely to drive. 

We began by mapping and typologizing benches, photographing not just the bench but the view from and experience of the bench, as we ourselves experienced it, since we never found a person actually sitting in those benches except for two occasions(a man talking in his cell phone, and a woman waiting for the bus).  We conducted a preliminary spatial appraisal as a first step to two future projects: one maximizing bus benches' potential as tools for visual communication and artistic intervention, and one to popularly reimagine a bench-centered social culture entailing new designs and placements. 

(All images below are by Ernesto Oroza)

The expectations' bench

A bench to accommodate the wait. It might be waiting for the bus, for the laundry, for a car wash or for a service. This type of bench is private, or semi-privatized. The second case is that of the bus stops, where the bench also functions as a display board for advertising.

the spectator's bench

This is typically a publicly-owned bench located around a sports field or a children playground. In some cases, de bench is position to merely visualize information such as posters and signs.

the bench to nowhere

These are benches that have no clear purpose and that are often unprotected from the sun and the elements. These are few and far between.