Linger Loiter

The Idea

The 2026 Data Through Design exhibition theme was "Echologies." Latching onto the notion of making data tactile, Charlotte and I proposed to take a public bench, then manipulate its shape according to how many benches there are in different parts of New York City. That way, the bench becomes a manifestation of disparities in public benches, and visitors can physically experince where seating deserts exist in the city.

Analysis

Since public benches sit in places that fall under different jurisdictions, there is no single dataset that maps every single public bench. We had to consult multiple datasets: City bench locations (DOT), Seating locations (DOT), Accessible parks facilities and programs (Parks Department), and Capital Budget (OMB). While the DOT dataset shows individual benches, the Parks dataset contains only park areas, so we had to estimate how many benches each park has based on its type. Aggregating the bench counts by zip code and then by borough, we then took a typical bench profile, arrayed it 178 times (for each zip code), and dragged the seat height up or down according to how many benches each zip code had. We then did the same thing for the bench's backrest: using OMB's Capital Budget data, we determined how much capital spending each zip code received, and manipulated the backrest height accordingly.

Simultaneously, we spent time in public benches out in the city, observing the life that congregates there, interviewing people, and recording our conversations.

Fabrication & Exhibition

The bench profiles were CNC milled out of 1/2" plywood by The New Motor in Red Hook. In its final state, the slices were all held together by dowels like a giant shish kabob.

The recorded audio scenes were edited and mixed into one 15-minute audio file, which was piped through speakers hidden inside the bench.

In the BRIC House gallery, we strongly encouraged the general public to interact with the bench, sit down, and spend time with the audio scene and the "characters" that float in and out of existence.

We also included a link to an online survey where we are collecting stories about benches. We intend to use this survey to enrich future iterations of the project.

The Future

On Saturday, March 28th, DxD and BRIC held an artists panel moderated by Leah Meisterlin, where each artist team shared thoughts and insights on their work.

During the Q&A, an audience member asked what the artists plan to do with the pieces after the show is dismantled. Someone in the crowd suggested that we bring the bench, unanncounced, to the offices of the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation. Linger Loiter's goal was to foster dialogue and awareness about benches in public life-- beyond the physical bench itself, we think it may be time for Park and DOT to join forces to create a bench census.

Coincidentally, one week after disassembling the show, Charlotte and I passed by Greene Garden in Fort Greene-- and look what we saw. Hats off to whoever came up with the idea for a parametric bench at the same time as we did. This sparked an idea: could Linger Loiter end up in a community garden? Or as an artwork in a Privately Owned Public Space?

More to come...

Charlotte Gartenberg & Ivan Himanen
Data Through Design 2026: Echologies
Plywood bench and sound instalation
March 2026
Photo credits where noted: Amanda Mostafa, Sebastian Bach, and Isaak Liptzin