What happens when art, design and social engagement come together?
Rietveld student Chaya Adelaars (second-year VAV - moving image department) recently extended a wooden bench on Museumplein. “At first, it was too short to lie down on comfortably, let alone sleep on,” Chaya told Het Parool.
She created the extended bench in the academy’s workshop, not as an art object in its own right, but as a concrete intervention in public space. Through her action, she draws attention to the issue of homelessness and to the way in which design choices can either include or exclude people. The extended bench literally makes room for people who often remain invisible in the city.
At the Rietveld Academy, we do not view social engagement as something that exists alongside art and design, but as an essential part of it. Our students explore how creativity can contribute to raising urgent questions, highlighting blind spots and opening up new perspectives. Chaya’s initiative shows how a seemingly small intervention can spark a wider conversation about public space, care, inclusivity and responsibility.
Chaya is certain that there will be more of these kinds of guerrilla actions in the future, as she calls her intervention. “I think it’s a great way to draw attention to social issues.”