Olfactory science meets modern plastics - Enhanced Benches are elegant designer objects actively effecting their environment with encapsulated biochemistry. Furniture is a special class of objects, a context-dependent homunculus morphing between design, fine art, and function. It has access to everymans home, royal residencies and the public spaces. A piece of furniture is the ideal candidate for biochemical enhancements, as an art object or a novel function. This project focuses on enhancement to benches, because (1) benches are made for sitting "a while", an open ended activity which allows chemical enhancements to enter the body (2) benches can be used by small groups (3) benches can adapt to function almost anywhere.

The Enhanced Benches proposals aim to enhance the experience of “furniture”, by making it biochemically active. A new kind of plastic is used which encapsulates and emits fragrance, or other chemical compounds. Once manufactured, the benches constantly emit an inherent fragrance for around 20 years. This chemical emission is tailored to the specific desired effect. Finally, by making the benches from plastic, exciting and futuristic designs are possible.

Proposals

Bench 01 emits a mixture of fragrance and human hormones which enhances social interaction. The fact that fragrances influence mood is well known and used in shopping centers and similar venues. For instance, the scent of cinnamon buns is shown to increase a man’s predisposition towards women. Human hormones such as alpha and beta androstenol modulate social behaviour. The right mix of fragrances and hormones mildly enhance social contact like a glass of wine. Bench 01 is a piece of social furniture to enhance the living room, the restaurant or the park.

Bench 02 affects the menstrual cycles of women. Two human pheromones either accelerate the cycle, or slow it down. This is a well known phenomenon which synchronizes the cycles of women spending a lot of time together. Bench 02 makes a complementing pair, one for “sooner”, the other for “later”. The benches can be placed in public spaces or institutions, and allow women enhanced control of their cycles simply by sitting for a while.

Bench 03 attracts butterflies. Pheromones are proven to directly influence insect behaviour, and are responsible for mating, navigation, swarming, attraction and many other behaviours. In the wintertime, this bench functions as normal furniture in your home. During butterfly season in the summer, move it outside. In butterfly-rich areas, the butterflies soon start flocking around the bench. Where butterflies are scarce, Bench 03 increases the chances of seeing them. Sit on the bench and let yourself be surrounded by butterflies for a beautiful and romantic experience.

Enhanced Furniture mimics a product development cycle, with milestones, studies, functional prototypes, product visualizations, powerpoint presetations and so on. The project will spawn a series of exhibitions which lead up to a final work, a finished bench.