"Once finished a book is discarded on a bench, left for an unknown stranger to pass by, pick up, and read. In turn the stranger, on completion of the book, leaves the book for another, on a different bench, in a different park, in a different city. Like Chinese Whispers the enjoyment of the book resonates around the world.

This project is inspired by this public act of sharing, and the inherent
potential for this offered by the PSP device.
Digital development has exploded the potential of free information sharing by creating a massive informal global network unbound by geographic or physical limitations. The project looks at how this informal and virtual network can impact the physical public realm and so re-instigating the random and place specific-ness of book sharing into a contemporary context.

The project describes three physical insertions into the public realm
designed to encourage and frame the sharing of information
The proposed furniture are to be focal points for the digital transfer of
information, whether it be photographs, music, video etc. The furniture
will be connected to a local hard drive (stored either below ground or in an adjacent building) which will temporarily store downloaded information. A wireless connection as well as physical sockets and ports will facilitate people uploading or downloading data. The data stored will automatically be deleted once full capacity is reached, and so ensuring a continuously changing bank of information. So, for example, an artist can download their most recent work into the most local piece of street furniture. A passerby can later on hear this by plugging in at the same spot, and can download it into their own console / player. On his travels abroad the passer-by may upload the same song there and so further sharing the work with others. The
proposal would create a physical and local realization of the global
transfer and exchange of information and experiences.

As the furniture is to be located globally in a variety of potential
contexts, the furniture design is to be a simply recognizable and
understood. The design therefore uses the inspiration of the night sky and the diurnal colour changes in the sky as a shared experience to draw upon.

Each piece is formed by a flat disc supported by a single angled support. The supports spread out from the base to support a coloured and backlit fascia to the disc edge, to form a horizon line. The furniture is constructed in carbon fibre, which acts as both the structure and finish surface. The horizon is created in curved toughened glass, with laminated coloured films. Perimeter light fittings are fitted behind the glass to provide feature lighting during the night. Tiny fibre optic light fittings are scattered throughout the carbon fibre skin to provide luminance for activities below. The floor surface below the furniture is formed in circular green resin-bound gravel surfacing to provide a loose demarcation of the site. The circular pattern is positioned off centre from the furniture above, creating three overlapping discs in all: the disc of the furniture item itself; the disc formed by either the shadow or luminance of the furniture item; and the disc of the ground surfacing."