iDo: Bench Round 2

Well, now with the wedding crazies gone, I'm able to focus on iDo: Industrial Design Outreach.

Last year we rolled out a Community Bench Curriculum. It was so successful that the principal and teacher asked us back to offer the project to the next class of Thurgood Marshall students.

So far, so good. As compared to last year, the students are having a hard time grasping the concept of "community". Many of them think of sports, video games, family, marriage and pets. It's interesting to think about what community really is. How is it defined? What makes up a community...

For myself, I can say my family, my friends (which are like a family - we do Sunday dinners together), the crew of folks that I go to Burningman with, the crew of folks that I go snow skiing with, and my outdoor camping crew are all the communities that I strongly identify with. But, how would I represent that in the medium of a bench? Each community is unified by a similar point of view towards life, how we interact with others, and a belief in what our purpose is on earth. How in the world would I visually represent that??!!

It's no wonder kids have a hard time putting visuals to such a personal and sometimes shifting concept that is shaped by so many variables...


One student proposed a bench on the bench... interesting, but why a bench on a bench. She said it was because benches help to create community by providing a place for people to gather at, talk at and meet other people. Seems like a pretty good idea!