This project was born out of a concern to find out how the citizens of Pamplona use public benches.

After carrying out a formal analysis of the bench, it was concluded that there is no established materiality or form for the benches. A photographic study was carried out of the benches in their context, in the public space. When a bench is contextualized in the public space, its definition is partially or completely modified. It is the citizen, influenced by the context (space and time), who gives the bench different and changing meanings. For example, benches located in areas that are not artificially lit may become a tantra chair when the sun goes down.

In this way, benches that allow lying down become a public bed for those who do not have one. People are concerned about the aesthetics of the city, and the sight of homeless people sleeping on benches bothers them. Thus the idea of camouflaged sleeping bags was born, under the fictitious campaign of the Pamplona City Council: ‘Pamplona takes care of you and takes care of itself’.

Pamplona City Council and Kamuflaje collaborate to visually improve the cultural and urban heritage of the city centre, and at the same time offer a free service to those homeless people who have decided to take shelter in the street. Faced with the widespread perception that homeless people affect the aesthetics of the city, Pamplona City Council joins Kamuflaje in the campaign ‘Pamplona takes care of you and takes care of itself’. Kamuflaje, a brand specialising in the manufacture of sleeping bags, has developed a series of bags that blend in with different areas of the city centre.

Urban Interventions // Social Design // Critical Design