Benches

Bench time, screamed and bellowed by my friend Dom, on a bike ride sticks in my mind every time I see a bench. Not that this project is much to do with Dom’s game of chasing a way from a group of friends on a bike ride to sit on a bench out of sight of the others. But it did make me think about Benches. Benches are something we all can have shared experience of. Whether the desperation of having somewhere to sleep, a pause on walk to rest your weary bones, a stop for a cigarette, lunch, a cider on the park bench as a teenager, or viewing your stately lands. The Bench is there. What follows is an ongoing body of work, simply titled, Benches. Those subjects and places are found as I travel the world with work and stumble upon them. If you take nothing more than this, find a bench, sit on it, and take a moment, be kind. J.O’Shea December 2022