Barricade
Bench Project, 2002
by Jason Middlebrook
Artforum:
Top Ten #4
February 2003
Barricade
Bench Project, 2002 The first time I saw one of Tim Thyzel's benches
(reconfigured orange-and-white-striped roadblocks) I didn't think art,
I thought design solution. The second time I saw one, again on a New York
sidewalk, I was with a group of artists, and we wondered why the city,
which must have been mass-producing the benches for construction workers,
wasn't concerned about their taking excessive breaks. When I finally discovered
the benches were an art project, I hoped the City of New York would commission
Thyzel to supply every borough with an endless supply. The artist would
be rich, and the labor force would have seats on which to discuss the
progress of their work, the beautiful passerby, and sports, of course.
City agencies rarely recognize the functional applications of art, so
for now the benches are a temporary project one I would love to see made
permanent.