Snøhetta's new bench design for the United Nations, entitled The Best Weapon after Nelson Mandela's historic adage: "the best weapon is to sit down and talk," was commissioned by the Nobel Peace Center and is currently installed at the organization's headquarters in New York City.
The project seeks to "pay tribute to past Nobel Peace Prize laureates and their efforts to bring people together to find effective solutions for peace," says Snøhetta in a recent press release.
Unveiled back on July 18th, Nelson Mandela Day, the installation is currently being transferred from New York City to its permanent home near the Nobel Peace Center and the Oslo City Hall. Snøhetta worked in collaboration with Hydro, a fully integrated aluminum company, and outdoor furniture manufacture Vestre, to design the work, achieving a six-and-a-half meter-long installation made from anodized aluminum.
True to its purpose the bench is elevated at both ends, bringing together those who choose to sit on it. It is a symbolic gesture that seeks to encourage the discussing of one's differences.
2 Comments
just put them in a sauna. Nudity is a great equalizer! ;)
Elegant SMILE! — how can anyone be mad at that? — bravo!
From the video, I find the scale too tiny for such a great symbol — and I think would have preferred it carved from a single piece of white Barre granite rather than welded aluminum — with the words carved in: “the best weapon is to sit down and talk”
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