A striking new art installation by Danish artist Jeppe Hein has been installed on the grounds of the College, at the top field near the Møller Institute and visible from Churchill Road.
Entitled Modified Social Bench for Cambridge (2024) the installation fulfils a commitment by the College to integrate public art as part of the planning consent for Cowan Court and the Møller Extension, a requirement designed to help mitigate the impact of development and contribute to the local community. The installation’s progress was delayed by the Covid pandemic, but the sculpture is now ready to be enjoyed.
A Working Group for the Public Art Commission, chaired by Churchill Fellow Dr Colin Fraser, led the selection process and considered a shortlist of contemporary Danish artists in keeping with the site location near the Møller Institute. As Churchill Fellow, Curator of Works of Art at the College and member of the Commission Group, Barry Phipps explains, “Jeppe is celebrated for his interactive works, often located in public places, which inspire participation, build a sense of community, and encourage an atmosphere of enjoyment.” He notes that each of Jeppe’s ‘Modified Social Benches’ is different, depending on context, challenging the distance we place between ourselves and others. “To this end, they gather a sense community in those who choose to participate in the work.”
Jeppe’s bench designs borrow their basic form from the ubiquitous park or garden bench but are altered to various degrees to make the act of sitting a conscious physical endeavour. As Barry notes, “with their modifications, the benches transform their surroundings into places of activity rather than rest and solitude; they foster exchange between the users and the passers-by, thus lending the work a social quality. Due to their alterations, the benches end up somewhere between a dysfunctional object and a functional piece of furniture, and therefore demonstrate the contradiction between artwork and functional object.”
As with other works of art in the College, particularly Barbara Hepworth’s ‘Four Square (Walk Through)’, the sculptures afford moments of reflection and participation for our community.
Those who choose to look, sit, walk around the outdoor works may pause for thought, take pleasure in their surroundings, and create new perspectives. The Modified Social Bench extends the collection of interactive works, and makes a place for new views, conversation and memories to be shared.
Barry Phipps
Thank you to the everyone in College, external members of the working group, the Royal Danish Embassy in London, Jeppe Hein’s studio and the City Council, who have worked together to create this project and install an artwork for everyone to share.
