PIICNIIC is the first of two installations from the Benchmark 2020 competition. (@STOREFRONTMB1 / TWITTER)
WINNIPEG — There’s a new spot downtown to sit and take a load off.
PIICNIIC is a fresh installation from Benchmark 2020, a design competition supported by the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ, the Winnipeg Trails Association and Storefront Manitoba.
Local designers Nicole Marion (Studio Marion) and Chris Wiebe (AtLRG Architecture Inc.) created the 30-foot-long funky-looking bench to be a fun and playful spin on the humble picnic table.
“Our goal for the PIICNIIC bench was and is to create a public amenity that can be enjoyed all year by everyone, whether physically engaging with it, or simply as a moment of visual delight while passing by,” Marion said.
“Colour plays largely into this effort, taking the traditional ‘park green’ into hyper-saturated hues that contrast with the relatively neutral streetscape, and remain visually striking throughout Winnipeg’s four distinct seasons.”
Marion and Wiebe say the hope is that PIICNIIC might be reproduced in various configurations and colours for other locations in Winnipeg.
PIICNIIC is the first of two installations as part of Benchmark 2020. The second, chosen to be in Pinawa, Manitoba, will be unveiled next summer. Titled “Reflection,” design firm Sophie & Hans from Berlin, Germany were the creative brains behind the project.
To see PIICNIIC in person, stop by 392-398 Graham Avenue.
Meet PIICNIIC! Today we unveiled a fun new destination to Downtown Winnipeg as part of the Benchmark project. Congratulations to the designers Nicole Marion (Studio Marion) and Chris Wiebe (@AtlrgArch) ?? pic.twitter.com/kiNIgH0BnV
— StorefrontMB (@storefrontMB1) September 11, 2020
We’re thrilled to unveil this snazzy PICNIC table – in front of @ShawarmaKhanWPG on Graham with our partners @storefrontMB1 & @WinnipegTrails! pic.twitter.com/x2pqvWklAT
— Downtown Winnipeg (@DowntownWpgBIZ) September 11, 2020
