Project: Seeding Stillness
Author: Dana Dreimane and Una Stahovska
Seeding Stillness is a modular, rotatable shading and seating installation, reclaiming constrained urban spaces for rest, quiet gathering, and sun relief.
The Project addresses urban overheating in Barcelona with a site-specific seating and shading installation inspired by a poppy flower, combining practical function with a poetic invitation to slow down.
“Seeding Stillness” is a modular urban intervention inspired by the poppy flower, designed for overheated, low-greenery urban areas. It responds to the need for rest and mental stillness in environments dominated by movement, noise, and sensory overload.
The poppy is chosen for its associations with sleep, restoration, and renewal, becoming a metaphor for well-being, comfort, and emotional accessibility. The design introduces emotional placemaking, bringing function together with symbolism, slowness, and reflection in fast-paced urban contexts.
The object combines seating with a rotating shading element that follows the sun, providing continuous shade. Its compact footprint suits dense environments lacking natural shade or contemplative spaces.
Its hybrid nature merges seating, shading infrastructure, and a visual marker that softens urban rigidity through organic form and color.
Fully modular, the system adapts to different spatial conditions, pedestrian flows, and community needs. Made from recycled plastic, it supports circular material use without compromising design quality.
Unlike conventional urban furniture focused on function alone, “Seeding Stillness” integrates narrative, ecological responsibility, and community experience. It addresses both physical needs—shade and rest—and psychological ones: to pause, connect, and be.
