Press Release
Skystation Sculptural Bench by Peter Newman Wins the Silver A' Design Award in Street Furniture Design
Peter Newman honored for street furniture design by the international grand jury of the 2022 - 2023 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 20, 2023 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Skystation Sculptural Bench by Peter Newman, designed for Peter Newman Studio, has been granted the Silver A' Design Award in the Street Furniture Design category. The award was conferred within the 2022 - 2023 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the Silver A' Design Award
The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.
About Skystation Sculptural Bench
Skystation is an interactive sculpture that also provides some public seating. The contours of the work are designed to fit the reclining human form and encourage contemplation of the sky. The seating it provides is similar to what NASA calls Neutral Body Posture, which is the shape the body returns to when free from the influence of gravity. Skystation creates an opportunity for pause, reflection and interaction within the public realm. It is inspired by the modernist idea of form follows function. It has the incidental effect of making conversations between strangers almost inevitable.
About Peter Newman
Peter Newman works across various media to make art and design that explores a human relationship to space and modernity. He attended Goldsmiths College, University of London from 1987-90. Since graduating, he has had solo exhibitions in London, Brussels, Hamburg, New York, Chicago and Tokyo. His work has been exhibited in Trafalgar Square, the Royal Festival Hall and Hayward Gallery in London, and the Turner Contemporary in Margate and The Guggenheim Museum in Venice, Italy. He was awarded the Mark Rothko travel scholarship and an artist award from the Arts Council of England.
Award Record
This recognition makes Peter Newman a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Street and City Furniture Design Award
The A' Street Furniture Design Award is an international design competition recognizing good street furniture designs by leading designers and brands worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to street furniture designers, industrial design studios, street furniture brands and street furniture manufacturers from all countries. Typical entries include benches, bollards, bus shelters, bicycle racks, litter bins and planters. The awarded street furniture designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/street-furniture
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/149050
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/149050
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!149050
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/342930
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Skystation Sculptural Bench
- Function
- Sculptural Bench
- Category
- Street Furniture Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Architecture and Social Impact
- Colors
- Light Slate Gray, Silver, Light Gray, Gainsboro and Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Peter Newman Studio
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Peter Newman
- Country
- Great Britain
- Recognition
- Silver A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2022 - 2023
- Design ID
- #149050
Credits
- Image Credits
- Photographer Peter Newman, Skystation 2022; Photographer Google Landsat / Copernicus, Canary Wharf 2022
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Skystation is an interactive sculpture that also provides some public seating. The contours of the work are designed to fit the reclining human form and encourage contemplation of the sky. The seating it provides is similar to what NASA calls Neutral Body Posture, which is the shape the body returns to when free from the influence of gravity. Skystation creates an opportunity for pause, reflection and interaction within the public realm. Conversations between strangers are almost inevitable.
- Inspiration
- Inspired by the LC4 chaise-longue, by Le Corbusier, Perriand and Jeanneret and the modernist idea of form follows function. Looking upwards is inherently optimistic, and something akin to thinking about the future. Cognitive research suggests we do our best thinking lying down.
- Research
- Real world research was done with life size seating profiles, tested by a large number of volunteers, to be as comfortable as possible to a wide range of people lying down. The chosen profile was then spun through 360 degrees and refined into a sculpture form. Fibreglass prototypes of the finished sculpture were installed in various public locations. This has shown the positive impact of introducing an interactive sculpture into the pubic realm. It appeals to all ages and serves as a place-making element and encourages social interaction.
- Challenge
- To realise the design as a permanent installation required production in a material that would last a long time and was in keeping with the aesthetic of the work. Aluminium bronze is a material used in the marine environment due to its resistance to corrosion and seems fitting in redeveloped wharf of London. A golden disk also has a symbolic association with the sun and the sky going back to antiquity. The colour introduces a warm tone among the cool steel that characterises the district.
- Realization and Technology
- Cast aluminium bronze, brushed satin finish. Six segments were sand cast and precision cut, to align together on a stainless steel sub-structure. Assembled together on site.
- Operation and Interaction
- The sculpture can be used for sitting and lying down by up to 12 people. Although designed with adults in mind, children find the most inventive ways to interact with the shape.
- Project Duration and Location
- Permanent installation at Canary Wharf, London.
- Specifications
- 4100mm x 4100mm x 675mm
- Keywords
- Skystation, sculpture, bench, public art, installation, seating
