Our Harp-sit-chord bench was created for Fenton House in connection with the exhibition Please Sit. How do you experience a London house museum, home to a long succession of occupants and brimming with disparate collections of extraordinary things arranged by the National Trust. The house was build around 1686 and left to the National Trust in 1952. 'Please Sit' is a warm invitation to sit down, linger longer, and to look anew at Fenton House, its remarkeble contents and the worlds they came from. We were one of six designers- how was invited to create seating interventions in one of the rooms at Fenton House. These interventions encourage a deeper level of engagement not only with Fenton's collection but also more broadly with heritage and place. The exhibition was curated by Gitta Gschwendtner
The special Shudi and Broadwood harpsichord immediately caught my attention when I first entered the dining room at Fenton House. Such an arresting shape and incredible crafted instrument. I imagined the 8-yar-old Mozart playing the harpsichord in the light blue frock over a waistcoat and collared white shirt during his stay in London in 1764. The design of this scuptural bench is inspired by the iconic form of this harpsichord. On display till Spring 2020.
Photos: Oskar Proctor