Found this on the evening standard website, sounds like a really great idea!
Dury tribute is musical chair
by Indira Das Gupta
Picture the scene - you are seated in the quiet, leafy seclusion of a London park. You
reach into your pocket for your personal stereo headphones, plug them into the armrest
of the solar-powered wooden bench and then drift away to the gentle sounds of poetry,
local folklore or music.
That is the vision of Royal College of Art designer Mil Stricevic - and local
authorities and the GLA are already expressing interest in the bizarre project.
Mr Stricevic came up with the idea as a tribute to the late Ian Dury, and he hopes to
place one of the benches in Richmond Park - a favourite retreat of the Blockheads
singer before his death from cancer in March last year.
The bench, currently in Hackney, will enable fans to hear Dury's last interview on
Desert Island Discs, in which he spoke about his life and the music that influenced
him.
It will also let them listen to a collection of his most popular songs, kicking off
with Reasons To Be Cheerful, a top 10 record in 1979, and and including Hit Me With
Your Rhythm Stick, What A Waste and the anthem Sex And Drugs And Rock And Roll.
The unique bench is powered using a rechargeable solar-powered battery so it will
function even when it is overcast, as is so often the case in London, and at night.
The soundtrack is contained on a digital recording.
Mr Stricevic hit upon the idea for the bench while working on his final project as a
Royal College of Art student last year. He said: "I was interested in the idea of
enhancing the public's experience of open spaces in urban areas.
"Memorial benches have always intrigued me as I can't help wondering about the lives
of the people they are dedicated to.
"As a fan of Ian Dury's, I thought this would be a fitting way to remember him." On
hearing of Mr Stricevic's design, Dury's family became involved in the project and
they are backing his plans to give the bench a permanent home in Richmond Park.
Dury's wife, Sophy Tilson, said of the memorial: "Reasons To Be Cheerful is simply the
right thing in the right place at the right time."
The bench, which can also be used with the aid of the ear piece from a hands-free
mobile phone set, contains a digital audio player in each of its arms.
Each recording can be up to half an hour long and the solar panels are located on the
armrest surface.
Mr Stricevic added: "Dedicated benches will no longer be mute testimonials. Instead,
with the help of music, or literature, they will be a celebration of people's lives."
Hope everyones ok
Mad luv
Sophie -x-
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