Please Take A Seat

Commissioned for The Line in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Please Take A Seat is a contemporary reinterpretation of the Victorian park bench. Developed in collaboration with The Line Youth Collective, the work explores public space as a site of encounter, representation and shared authorship.

The idea emerged during lockdown, when ordinary benches took on unexpected meaning. They became places of pause, intimacy and reflection at a time when proximity was restricted. What had once been overlooked became symbolically charged. The bench stood not only as street furniture, but as a marker of presence, solitude and human connection.

In this commission, Hussain transforms the bench into a sculptural invitation. Engraved with the prompt “Hello, let’s make a portrait together,” the work encourages visitors to sit, gather and create. The bench becomes both prop and participant. It invites conversation, documentation and the act of self representation within a shared civic landscape.

While Hussain’s wider practice often focuses on identity, heritage and displacement, Please Take A Seat shifts from the singular portrait to the collective encounter. It asks who occupies public space, who feels entitled to be visible within it, and how everyday gestures can shape belonging.

Positioned along The Line, the work embeds contemporary art within daily life. Families, commuters, runners and visitors are not spectators but collaborators. The sculpture does not demand attention. It offers hospitality. It suggests that representation can begin with something as simple as sitting down together.