Visual expression on everyday structures
Southampton Solent University and GO! Southampton have partnered together with support from Balfour Beatty and Southampton City Council to create BENCH, an exciting new public art commission for Southampton 2020. 16 benches from the pedestrianised high street of Southampton have been transformed into works of art by local artists as part of a city-wide project that aims to activate the public realm.
BENCH links to GO! Southampton’s city recovery plan, together with Solent Showcase Gallery’s ‘What is Our Place?’ project that explores how creativity can rethink place and access across the city. Art in public places can provide new ways to experience the city and BENCH offered an unusual canvas for artists to explore, infusing an everyday, seemingly unimportant object with new significance.Â
Visual expression on everyday structures
Southampton Solent University and GO! Southampton have partnered together with support from Balfour Beatty and Southampton City Council to create BENCH, an exciting new public art commission for Southampton 2020. 16 benches from the pedestrianised high street of Southampton have been transformed into works of art by local artists as part of a city-wide project that aims to activate the public realm.
BENCH links to GO! Southampton’s city recovery plan, together with Solent Showcase Gallery’s ‘What is Our Place?’ project that explores how creativity can rethink place and access across the city. Art in public places can provide new ways to experience the city and BENCH offered an unusual canvas for artists to explore, infusing an everyday, seemingly unimportant object with new significance.Â
Meet the artists and their projects
Read about the inspiration behind each artist's bench.
Find out more
