Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Foating Green: A Grassy Bench

A lush lawn can be a wonderful thing to stretch out on. Unfortunately, the high-maintenance needs, which include frequent seeding and fertilizing, of grass can make it more of a pain than a joy, leaving would-be loungers disappointed. Fortunately, grassy seating can put back some of the fun. The idea of creating seating out of grass is no new concept, as you may find with the lawnge chairs or living lawn chaise. In this formulation, the Floating Green, by Ling Fan, is a stretch of lawn that appears to have rebelled against horizontality by springing from the ground, doing an elegant twist and then settling into a vertically folded position to offer passers-by a place to sit.

Fan writes: “Lawns are a visual representation of nature in an urban context; but they are anything but natural. The lawn is an engineered product genetically enhanced, mass produced in rolls, cut into uniform strips, transported in a truck, and installed on site by hard human labor.”
Fan seeks to integrate grass back into the urban landscape — and felt that creating street furniture would best express a fluidity with the surrounding, while giving the city a new and interesting sculptural form. While grass may not be the eco-friendliest plant, we all know it has a wonderfully soft feel perfect for kicking back, and it offers some carbon-capture qualities. In creating a sculptural grassy bench, Fan gives grass a fighting chance to gain a more positive relationship with city dwellers by allowing people to enjoy grass again in a fun and approachable way






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Story Telling Competition Entry 5