Back in 2008, designer Fabian Brunsing made a statement on commerce encroaching on public space, with his “PAY & SIT” private park bench. As seen below, the bench has uncomfortable spikes which will only retract when a coin is inserted. After a few minutes, an alarm beeps and the spikes pop back up.

Fabian Brunsing’s PAY & SIT bench

The only problem? Park officials in China ignored the artistic statement and decided to put the idea into practice. Parks in China suffer from chronic overcrowding, and officials at the Yantai Park have apparently implemented the idea. Ouch.

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