Modern humans like to think we have it all figured out—mostly, anyway. With the invention of the printing press, philosophers worried our thoughts would become mired among the pages, leaving us unprepared for original thinking. Every subsequent iteration—the radio, television, and now the smartphone—has brought unprecedented convenience and optimization to our lives. Yet good design often asks: just because we can, does that mean we should? OUTSIDERS by lije studio and Amorf Praxis leans into that tension, reframing our collective need to be present in public through a reimagination of our vanishing third spaces.
Operating as both a feasibility study and a material exploration, the exhibition uses public seating as its medium to question how we sit and what we prioritize in shared environments. Rather than treating outdoor furniture as static infrastructure, both studios propose adaptable systems that challenge current convention through modularity, reusability, and a sensitivity to place.
Venture by lije studio is an exploration of how we envision space in cities and public places, where moments of reflection and connection are increasingly rare. If there’s nowhere to sit, there’s nowhere to think—and sometimes, this absence is by design.
Drawing from the principles of proxemics—the study of how we relate to personal space—Venture becomes a place-sensitive system in response to both spatial and social needs. Developed in dialogue with landscape architects, the bench prioritizes flexibility, using curved and straight steel tubes as both its structure and identity. The result is a f funky form that flows in response to its unique urban surrounding.
Lampposts and staircases have long served as informal places to lean, stateside anyway, but lije studio formalizes that inclination. Industrial piping, typically reserved for oil infrastructure, is reimagined here as a soft, continuous gesture, supporting curved seating elements that invite passersby to commit to the sit. With no fixed backs or prescribed direction, users are free to sit how they choose—alone or together, facing inward or outward. Clever L-shapes promote privacy when needed, while allowing room for socialization if wanted.
Klopp, by Amorf Praxis, approaches the same question from a different angle: how and where can we take a moment for ourselves within overlooked, everyday spaces? Ease of installation and adaptability are central here, grounding the project firmly in its context.
Named after a “bog bridge”—a simple, two-planked structure that spans wetlands while protecting the ecosystem beneath—Klopp functions as both connector and intervention. Its modular system consists of varying bench lengths, axis of rotation, and adjustable heights, allowing it to respond to uneven terrain, winding paths, or the edge conditions of a site.
Constructed with pipe connectors and short-stock materials, the bench can be easily transported, assembled, disassembled, and reused. It slips into forgotten, liminal, and residual spaces as a quiet invitation to pause.
Both Venture and Klopp stem from a brief posed at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, regarding proxemics and public seating. As we continue to navigate our new normals surrounding third spaces, questions of usability, adaptability, and true circular design feel less theoretical and more urgent. OUTSIDERS may not offer one definitive answer, but it does create the conditions for us to pause long enough to consider them.
To learn more about OUTSIDERS and the creative studios behind them, visit lijestudio.com and amorfpraxis.com.
Photography courtesy of lije studio and Amorf Praxis.
