Benches are undervalued but overused. Elli and I realized that when our ‘hangout’ bench went into disrepair and were nothing but two concrete supports. We waited for some time but it never got fixed. We had two options: find somewhere else or fix it ourselves.
We went to Bauhaus with nothing but 80 euros and an idea. We bought some wood and screws we thought looked good. We borrowed a screwdriver from a friend and built Bench 001 in one afternoon. We ran back and forth tweaking and further supporting our bench until, already dark, we finally sat down to enjoy the fruit of our labor. Locals who lived nearby stopped, asking us about what we were doing and complimenting us. Some even gave tips on how we could improve our building skills.
We didn’t just build a bench, but a community member that would serve even when we were long gone. This is when I realized the power of building a lasting thing in our community, something you can share, and something as useful as a bench. We feel comfort and a sense of accomplishment knowing a part of us is always there. We also have a hang-out spot again!
No matter who you are, or how much experience you have, we hope you can feel what we felt.
Join us, and build a bench
This bench was build for public use. It is located in the Zehlendorf/Grunewald region of Berlin, Germany.