Bench Retracts Spikes When You Pay

I can already imagine a drunk inserting a coin, and falling asleep on the bench...

what a terrible idea. this really bothers me so much

i hope it's an art piece satirizing capitalism because it represents everything wrong with where civilization is going - even the most basic pleasures in life aren't considered valuable anymore unless they put a dollar in someone's pocket.

but there is a hidden cost to a bench like this much greater than that little bit of money - discouraging people from enjoying nature, from enjoying their own public places, giving people one more tiny little prod to keep moving, keep busy, be productive. that's why 1/3 of americans are depressed and heart attacks are the number one cause of death and respect for the environment is worse than ever.

So now we're going to have to pay for the privilege of sitting down comfortably in public.

I can think of at least three reasons these things would never catch on anyway.

1. People will sue for being injured by them.
2. People like me, who resent them will vandalize/disable them.
3. An exposed coin box in a park, late at night? 'nuf said.

I can see so many things wrong with this!

So would putting a big slab of Styrofoam be illegal?

the inventor-designer deserves to be tie down on his own bench for un undisclosed period of time.

There are some folks out there who would be excited by this.

joe, they use euros in america? amd also its perfectly legitimate, if you dont want to pay, then sit on the ground

I, for one, welcome our new spiked coin-operated overlords.

Also, terrible for blind people looking for a seat.
Or for that matter, deaf people, missing the alarm will be a painful experience.

I really do hope it's an 'art' piece. However, for places like shopping malls where loitering is a 'problem', could be useful. Found no seats to sit on in IFC1 in Hong Kong, they are left out because the homeless/maids would sit all day.

Jeez, people, takes the spikes outta yer butts.

Seems like it could be defeated by sitting on the back and resting your feet between the spikes!

That is one seriously bitter artist.

Art or not, this is the saddest thing I've seen in all day! :-O

If it's not just an art piece, the creator deserves to be shot repeatedly with a large caliber handgun. Either that or I'll fit a large rubber bag over his head with a coin slot- as long as he keeps inserting coins, he gets to breathe.

While I think it is creative and I can think of actual legitimate uses for such a device, it would need to undergo quite a bit of change to be useful.

If I ever saw one in a public park though, I'd go at it with a sledgehammer.

This could be useful in some form to prevent vagrants from sleeping on benches.

This is a prime candidate for the Museum of Possibilities!

Jeez, people have you no humor?
This obviosly is art. And I've seen much "worse" art.
Imagine traps for toddlers and stuff.
I think it's funny.
Personally, I would just sit on the back rest.

Be more interesting if the spikes deployed, quickly, after some random length of time. Russian Roulette for your butt!

Whats the big deal? bring a plank of wood or smthing similar and you wouldn't have to pay anything.

Seems like a ripoff for a quarter, the spikes didn't even retract completely! I would call the spike bench maintenance man. :P

Spiked bench? I prefer spiked punch.

I'd just put a newspaper on the ground and sit on that. Who would pay to sit for 2 minutes? Also I love how the alarm beeps for three seconds and the torture begins. It's only one step away from having to pay to stand.

I could see it as a deterrent for skaters or bladers. But I would just save my money and sit on the curb.

This must be social commentary art.

In the tv show "Persons Unknown" the weazel salesmen type character pitches an idea of pay for parks

That thing would be a lawsuit waiting to happen.

If only I thought of this years ago, I could have made a fortune!

...well, not really.

I wouldn't mind these since I usually sit on the backrest anyway.

Walk around the park, collect animal shit in bag, pour bag of animal shit on the "pay bench", repeat daily. Enough said.

Spike bench, meet Makita portable grinder.
http://www.makita.com/en-us/Modules/Tools/ToolDetails.aspx?ID=10948
Vive la résistance!

Quite interesting art. And something to talk and reflect. A normal park bench also costs money/ressources. With this one, only the user would have to pay for it instead of everyone. Where is the difference to public toilets you have to pay for (depending on where you live) apart from the amount of money?

Fabian Brunsing: FUCK YOU MOTHER FUCKER!!!!

The same thing was done about 10 years ago by Steve Mann at San Francisco Art Institute: a chair with spikes that retract when you insert a credit card, and a buzzer that sounds to warn when time's running low. See Fig. 1 of the article in Leonardo 36(1), 2003, pp19-26 http://wearcam.org/leonardo/award2004.htm

Treat people like pigeons is what I always say.