Jeppe Hein's Modified Social Bench, specially designed for the Jahnsdorf location, uses curves and differences in height to create a course that invites people to sit, lie down or slide around dynamically. In a playful way, he also dissolves the common principle of prohibiting the direct touching or use of art and poses questions about the conventions of dealing with the artwork. Hein also extends his questioning to today's common functional objects of public space themselves, which are usually set up and initiated by local authorities and municipal administrations: sealed surfaces, city benches, playground furniture or even design sculptures. As a result, egalitarian and open spaces are increasingly disappearing, being rendered unusable or closed off with the aim of protecting them from vandalism, misappropriation or sabotage.
Together with the citizens of Jahnsdorf, the artist counters this controlling and marginalising design of urban space with a work of art in an undesigned space below the railway station. Here, Hein's sculpture Modified Social Bench for Jahnsdorf, created in 2024, playfully opens up a field of interpersonal communication in which the meeting of people takes centre stage.
Modified Social Bench for Jahnsdorf
Year: 2024
Materials: powder-coated aluminium
Dimensions:
Modified Social Bench for Jahnsdorf #01: 145 x 644 x 599 cm
Modified Social Bench for Jahnsdorf #02: 75 x 217 x 45 cm
Permanent installation at Park an der Streuobstwiese, Jahnsdorf, Germany
Photos: Gemeinde Jahnsdorf, Studio Jeppe Hein