Word of Mouth: An Urban Bench with a Twist

Unveiling Helen Brasinika's Award-Winning Design

Helen Brasinika, a renowned designer, has created a unique urban bench called 'Word of Mouth.' This design is inspired by Braille language for people with vision impairment and the powerful impact of storytelling. The bench is not only a place to sit but also a medium for communication and education, making it a unique addition to any urban setting.

The 'Word of Mouth' bench is crafted from reinforced cast concrete DUCTAL by Lafarge, using low-density polystyrene molds. The final surface acquires a smooth finishing by acid etching advanced methods and is colored in its body before casting. The bench measures 184 in length, 92 in depth, and 85 in back height.

What sets this bench apart is its unique properties. The design reflects the shapes of eyes and mouths, symbolizing visionary perceptions and oral communication, respectively. The bench is designed to promote storytelling or word of mouth, which is considered the most powerful method of human communication. This bench can convert the landscape into an open educational library for visually impaired people, opening new channels of knowledge dissemination and communication.

The bench is designed using fluid dynamics model theory to accommodate ergonomic sitting and reclining. Apart from the common use of a street bench, it can be read like a book owing to Braille text imposed on it. This innovative design opens the possibility to establish urban libraries for people that are visually impaired and open new channels of communication among end users.

The design process for 'Word of Mouth' took place from February 2013 to December 2014. The research involved understanding the impact of storytelling and touch in constructing images of the surrounding environment. The challenge was to design a street bench that utilizes contemporary ergonomics and aesthetic demands for the creative adaptation of urban typology.

In conclusion, 'Word of Mouth' is an urban bench that creatively adapts urban landscapes into powerful educational and communication tools. It is a testament to Helen Brasinika's innovative thinking and design prowess, which has been recognized with the prestigious Golden A' Street and City Furniture Design Award in 2015. This design is a marvelous, outstanding, and trendsetting creation that reflects the designer's prodigy and wisdom, significantly impacting the world with its desirable characteristics.