parkbench bubble is a shelter + solar powered charging station

parkbench bubble is a shelter + solar powered charging station
all photos by namuun zimmerman

through his creative practice, thor ter kulve investigates public space and urban interventions using quotidian materials. with these everyday mediums such as recycled wood, nylon fabric and batteries, ter kulve demonstrates the potential of innovation with what already exists. for the ‘future stars?’ exhibition at the aram gallery, london, the dutch designer has conceived ‘parkbench bubble’, a semi-public piece of outdoor furniture. the object encompasses a modern individual’s human working needs, acting as both an inflatable shelter and a solar-powered USB charging station.

the piece of outdoor furniture acts as both an inflatable shelter and a solar-powered USB charging station

deflated, ‘parkbench bubble’ appears as a domestic piece of street furniture; blown-up it transforms into a personal cocoon, both shutting out and maintaining part of the surrounding city. our contemporary need of electronic devices as well as the physical requisite of shelter have been worked into the construction. taking into consideration the repurposing of existing materials, the design has been crafted from mediums collected during the deconstruction of the royal college of art’s degree show — which leaves heaps of disused items and objects up for grabs. ‘I like to communicate and spark debate about our current living environment‘ ter kulve describes, ‘taking in observations garnered from living in two cities (amsterdam and london), I propose an alternative method for working.’ ‘future stars?’ at the aram gallery will be exhibiting from now until october 24th, 2014. 

 blown-up, ‘parkbench bubble’ transforms into a personal cocoon

the space with the inflatable shelter

deflated, ‘parkbench bubble’ appears to be a domestic piece of street furniture

the design has been crafted from mediums collected during the deconstruction of the RCA degree show

artist’s sketches of ‘parkbench bubble’