Behind the Scenes: Take a Seat! Project
The Take A Seat! initiative has introduced colourful benches across Leeds to celebrate our local communities. Yes, the last 18-months have been challenging. Yet, we have all rallied together during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Watch the video below to find out more:
Buttercrumble partnered with The Old Fire Station (in Gipton) to paint our “Get Together” bench, with support from Leeds Civic Trust. It was a collaborative project from start to finish. Here is how we did it!
As part of the brief, we knew the project needed to be influenced by COVID-19 but to showcase it positively. Yes, it was a terrible time. However, there was a silver lining — neighbourhoods came together to support one another. We proved just how resilient we are. Therefore, we wanted to show this sense of community through the design.
Above: The original concept designs for the project.
We invited the East Leeds residents to submit their experiences of the pandemic, and from this, we formed two different design ideas. We presented these designs to The Old Fire Station, who voted for their favourite. The chosen design represents the various activities available within the local area and how we can all #GetTogether.
The Old Fire Station’s bright red colour inspired us to use warming, bold tones. The rainbow was a positive symbol of COVID-19 and this is also reflected through the colour palette. The design is busy and geometric, with a strong call-to-action to encourage conversation.
Above: The painting of the bench at The Old Fire Station in Leeds.
We then got to work! We painted the bench for weeks, so we could fully immerse ourselves in the East Leeds community. We painted on-site and were able to converse with a range of different people. It was a lovely experience to have following months of isolation.
If that wasn’t enough, Seagulls Reuse Paint kindly donated paint for the project. We’re grateful for all of the support we received — thank you!
We hope you enjoy our design. View this blog post to find out more and see the bench in action.
