Bench Encounters

Inspired by “The Friendship Bench” by psychiatrist Dixon Chibanda, in Zimbabwe, “Bench Encounters” is a multimedia project consisting of pre-recorded films and a live performance. The piece aims to capture the moments of life that although may appear small and insignificant, hold great amounts of meaning. The core idea is that by listening to the real-life stories of older people and how they have overcome their struggles, younger people can learn the skills to cope in similar situations.
The pre-recorded films document a series of conversations between Chinese and British people on a bench in different locations in Leeds and Hong Kong.

The live performance, which took place at the AIRSIDE in Hong Kong, on the 20th of October 2024, displayed conversations between five pairs, of a young and an older person sitting on a bench, to showcase the power of stories told by older individuals.

Bench Encounters was part of the SPARKS 2024, British Council festival of ideas. Striving for healthy futures, the festival explored the impact of arts and culture, education and science on our well-being. Bench encounters was one of 30+ free events which are taking place during the three-day festival of ideas. The festival aimed to ask audiences to consider what health and wellbeing means to them and to explore different ideas about how to create healthier communities as well as offering a platform for cultural exchange between Hong Kong and the UK.

A sharing of Bench Encounters will also be taking place in the UK at Chapel FM in Leeds. The event will include a sharing of the films followed by a live Bench Encounters.

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