Bringin’ Veggie Back
Program: Civic and Public Art
Location: London, UK
Area: -
Status: Competition Entry, 2022
Client: London Festival of Architecture in partnership with The Royal Docks London
Bringin’ Veggie Back is a temporary public art installation designed for children and their caregivers.
Building upon the Mayor’s vision for Good Growth that aims to make London more child friendly, our proposal provides vital opportunities for play and social interaction at the Royal Docks. As young parents, we are currently experiencing London through a new perspective; that of our 18-month-old daughter. At 80cm tall, she quite literally ‘sees’ the world from a different angle, constantly reminding us that the city is not built with her in mind. In fact, free and safe opportunities for children to play and their caregivers to interact in the public realm are limited, especially in dense urban neighbourhoods like the Royal Docks. So, we asked ourselves, how can the experience of children and their caregivers influence the development of the city? Through a playful and site-specific intervention, Bringin’ Veggie Back aims to create a much-needed physical space for children and their caregivers to interact and share their common experiences.
Bringin’ Veggie Back proposes
a whimsical and playful bench in the shape of a giant avocado that has been
sliced into two parts. It provides seating for two children and two adults,
while the opening invites children to explore its underside. Due to its shape,
the bench offers seating in different heights making it inherently flexible and
able to accommodate children of different ages. Reacting to recent debates
surrounding the lack of vegetables in children’s school meals, Bringin’ Veggie
Back introduces a giant green vegetable to children through play. In the
context of the Royal Docks, one of UK’s most important regeneration stories,
Bringin’ Veggie Back responds to the needs of a growing residential
community and aims to spark a dialogue about the future of public space and
what it means to design a more inclusive, healthy, and child-friendly
city.
Our dream
is to inspire large-scale action that improves the health and wellbeing of
young children – especially the most vulnerable – and the people who care for
them. How can we firmly embed children’s rights in the urban agenda? We hope Bringin’
Veggie Back is the first of many veggie-themed urban interventions that aim
to stimulate, excite and inspire our children’s experiences throughout London.
Reference:
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