Benchmarking Project
Period
Opening
Venue
Organized by
Sponsored by

Concept		 From May 22nd, 2003
May 22th, 2003 at the Namsan Par
Namsan Park (in front of the fountain) & Peace Park (in front of the World Cup Stadium)
The Embassy of Switzerland, Korea & Laurence Geoffrey’s, Ltd.
ABB, Balzers, Clariant, Darling Art Foundation, Design House, Grand Hyatt Seoul, Merck, Nestle, Novartis, SGS, Sulzer, Swatch, Swiss Re, Syngenta, Tong-In, UBS
Production of 2 sets of 25 benches designed by 10 Swiss Artists and 15 Korean Artists; a total of 50 art benches were donated to Seoul City by Swiss Embassy in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Swiss participation in the NNSC
Highlights
Hong-Chul Byun
170 x 70 x 120㎝
enamel on wood
Byung-Hoon Choi
150 x 45 x 45㎝
wood, steel, stone
Du-Su Choi
150 x 45 x45㎝
enamel on wooden box
In-Su Choi
150 x 45 x 45㎝
pigment on wooden box
Rita Ernst
150 x 45 x 45㎝
enamel on wooden box
Alfonso Hueppi
150 x 45 x 45㎝
enamel on wooden box
Ingold airlines
150 x 45 x 45㎝
enamel on wooden box
Dae-Chul Kang
1230 x 45 x 45㎝
wood
Kang-Cheol Ko
150 x 45 x 45㎝
wood, glass, steel
Jae-Hyo Lee
150 x 75 x 45㎝
wood
Wal-Chong Lee
150 x 50 x 50㎝
enamel on wood
Ok-Sang Lim
150 x 45 x 45㎝
wood, steel spring, steel plate
Kyung-Sik Min & Ji-Won Park
290 x 45 x 45㎝
mixed medium
Dae-Sung Park
150 x 45 x 45㎝
enamel on wooden box
Christoph Rihs
150 x 45 x 45㎝
scorching on wooden box
Reini Ruehlin
150 x 45 x 45㎝
enamel on wooden box
Pavel Schmidt
150 x 45 x 45㎝
enamel on wooden box
Mette Stausland
150 x 45 x 45㎝
enamel on wooden box
Yun-Hee Toh
150 x 45 x 45㎝
enamel on wooden box
Ben Vautier
150 x 45 x 45㎝
enamel on wooden box
Paul Wiedmer
150 x 45 x 45㎝
enamel on wooden box
Sae-Hyuk Yang
176 x 80 x 50㎝
fiber glass, gelcoat,
poly-urethane
Jeong-Seop Yoon
150 x 100 x45㎝
wood, steel
Maria Zgraggen
150 x 45 x 45㎝
enamel on wooden box
This year of 2003 marks the 50th anniversary of the NNSC (Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission) on the Korean peninsula which was established under the Armistice agreement of July 17, 1953. The main mission of the NNSC has been and remains to take part in upholding peace on the peninsula by providing a neutral element to monitor the Demilitarized Zone. Throughout these last 50 years, Switzerland has been honored and proud to be part of the NNSC. This Benchmarking Project has been organized by the Swiss Embassy and Laurence Geoffrey’s, Ltd. to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Swiss participation in the NNSC.

To do this in a symbolic and meaningful way, 25 designs for benches by 15 Korean and 10 Swiss artists from various artistic backgrounds were selected to create a common Korean-Swiss cultural event. Two sets, containing one bench of each design have been placed within the Namsan Park and World Cup Stadium Peace Park. The benches were specifically chosen for this project to culturally enhance the environment of the parks and the public space they provide. Each bench design has been selected to appeal to people of all ages and to give greater access to the rich diversity of contemporary art and artistic expression of both countries. The benches are mostly made of wood, paint and varnish with the approximate size of 150cm(L) x 45cm(H) x 45cm(W). On behalf of the sponsors and support of the Swiss Government, the Swiss Embassy donates these benches to the citizens of Seoul in celebration of the last 50 years of peaceful development in the Republic of Korea.