The first unique artistic bench, named “Open Book”, has stood in front of the University Library Maribor since 26 May 2015, when it was ceremoniously unveiled. Its creator is industrial designer Nejc Brezovšek. The bench is made from Siberian larch wood.
Nejc Brezovšek completed his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design at the University of Ljubljana and at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava. Since 2005, he has been working in Maribor as a versatile industrial designer. His motto is “to find the best solution for any problem”.
Story of the Bench
The fundamental slatted design and appearance of the bench resemble a book that one flips through and reads. The bench serves as a space for exchanging words, opinions, and ideas, and also functions as a book exchange, with specially designed book shelves on the side for this purpose. Situated at the entrance to the popular multifunctional reading room “Čuk”, it aesthetically enriches the social space for the users of “Čuk” and all passers-by, while functionally and socially facilitating connections between people.
