"Seat in touch"

Have you ever noticed how utility surrounds us everywhere? And how utilitarian spaces are often public, where everything seems to suggest that you are merely passing through, one of many who have been there before you. And yet, these are precisely the places where we spend time, inevitably coming into contact with others and sharing moments with them, often for the first and last time. These include spaces of public transport, urban environments, and various municipal services and infrastructures. In collaboration with Esthetic Joys, we set out to reflect on how such utilitarian public spaces can bring people together. These are spaces that feel visually familiar, where we are used to being among others, and we sought to transform this condition into a sofa that creates new possibilities for shared presence. We have transferred this recognizable sense of utility into a new environment, where people also gather, but for a different purpose. You still do not know each other, as in a subway carriage, yet you are together, sharing the same space. You are not going anywhere, but listening to a musical performance, a lecture, or simply sharing a moment of contemplation.