Bench Invasion Junior

bench invasion – the art of listening

2 children carry a bench together.
They step into the public space.
“Hello, we have a bench and time.
Would you like to sit for a while?”

We listen, we are present.
At the end, we all come together: the bench bearers, the people we met.
We build a long table with the benches.
With words and music (and a glass) we toast to the beauty of small encounters and life.”

"On Piazza Grande in Modena (IT), a few benches—carried by hand by pairs of young protagonists—transformed the urban space into a map of unexpected encounters. These mini-mediators of listening posed unavoidable questions to passersby — 'Where is the place where you feel safe?' 'When was the last time you were truly happy?' — and the answers became a balm, a moment of truth for those invited to sit on that bench. Simple yet powerful questions that can only be approached with clarity and openness, without reservation—just as children would do. The performance, in all its apparent simplicity, restored the piazza to its deepest meaning: a place of mutual listening, where even waiting becomes a form of dialogue." (Review Liminateatri IT)