SLOVENIAN BENCH ALONG THE EUROPEAN ROUTE IN STRASBOURG
permanent installation

Park in front of the European Parliament, Strasbourg, France

Love Bench, design Mateja Panter and Anka Štular, has been selected in the international design contest »Bancs de l`Europe«. It will be placed in the city centre of Strasbourg together with the benches from other European countries, the benches so playing a role of EU member state ambassadors.
 

The bench is made of solid components, glued boards, that are cut from indigenous larch-tree wood – a material with exceptional properties for outdoor use. Over time, the natural reddish colour will turn grey and, due to a large share of resins, the larch-tree wood is more durable and resistant than other types of wood.  The bench is ornamented by an embossed element representing the Idrija lace. The Idrija lace is a type of bobbin lace that has been produced in Idrija for centuries and has become an important element of the Slovenian and international cultural heritage. Love Bench meets the requirements of French standards, it is massive, solid and resistant against vandalism, while the lace pattern element gives it a character of lightness and intimacy. The product has been designed as a sustainable object as smaller wooden pieces can be joined into a large, compact monolith. The product is designed to enable user-assembly, the modular design based on a single module shape enables well-conceptualised, multiple assemblies according to different user requirements.