This bench is part of a collection called 'Weeds, Aliens and Other Stories'. Using the passion of the British for their gardens as a metaphor, the designers proposed prototype objects that examined the sense of alienation and frustration that lies beneath the surface of our personal relationships. Many of their solutions were witty and ironic, but the humour barely concealed a darker layer of anxiety. These prototypes are not intended to be mass-manufactured, but are intended to allow reflection on our relationships with objects, with nature and with each other. As such they show an interest in the conceptual content of designed objects that has inspired much innovation amongst contemporary designers.

The bench is called Meeting and the designers described it as a piece of furniture to grow and look after. It is like a cross between a grassy knoll and a garden hedge, and they imagined it as a place to meet and make up, where lovers become neighbours. In folklore, grassy banks are places for romantic trysts. Neighbours traditionally chat over the garden fence. Relationships, like gardens, need attention and nurturing. All these functions and allusions are present here.