commercially confidential

COMMERCIALLY CONFDENTIAL

COMMERCIALLY CONFIDENTIAL


CONTENTS

THE SPREADSHEET AND INITIAL RESEARCH

DESIGN OF THE BENCH

A TASTER OF THE BENCH

THE CREATION OF COMMERCIALLY CONFI-DENTIAL

OUR LOCATION

LIVE FOOTAGE AT THE LOCATION

ANTHROPOLOGICAL STUDY


THE SPREADSHEET AND INITIAL RESEARCH

Our starting point was a spreadsheet consisting of 718 PFI projects - one of the few publicly accessible pieces of information on PFI. Our aim was to look at ways of visualising and making this spreadsheet more known to the public.

Initial research included looking at ways of privatising public places, such as, parks. We began by charging people to simply walk through Hyde Park, or to use a frisbee in Telegraph Hill Park. This then led onto the idea of installing a coin box to facilities such as swings and benches in parks. However, we thought it would be best to focus on one subject to privatise within a park.

After further experimentation, we looked at designing a mobile bench for parks that we would privatise. This would involve a contract that must be signed to be able to use the bench.

We emailed several people for feedback, permission to specific sites and general tips. Below are some screenshots sent to people in charge of the Royal London Hospital in regards to gaining permission on site - unfortunately due to health and safety reasons, we we asren’t allowed access. Also, information on on-going protests and talks go-ing on around London to do with PFI.


DESIGN OF THE BENCH

The aim was to design a bench that feels well maintained and looked after, that people must pay to sit on. The steep prices would be according to how long one has sat on the bench for, as well as if they put any heavy items on it.

We made a box to attach to the bench, containing the contract, as well as a post going through the middle of the bench containing a camera to capture all the action of the bench.

We wanted the bench to be mobile, to allow us to move it to different locations. In order to do this, we attached temporary wheels to the bench.


2.1. Charges and Costs:

If the user wishes to dispute the payment, the user must pay anyway, then the issue will go to a formal dis-pute resolution procedure where, if suc-cessful, the user can claim their money back.

Commercially Confidential’s bench instalment only holds a single paper copy. If the user asks to see the con-tract itself after signing, they must pay £4,500 to have Commercially Confidential print a new copy for them.The is requested by a Contract Request Form which takes 28 working days to arrive.

The user will be charged per minute they spend using the bench. This time begins from when the user enters within a five metre radius of the bench and ends from when the user exits this five metre radius of the central location of the aforemen-tioned bench.

This is the labour only The breakdown isAll charges combined: £On cost @ 4.2% around £1.42p/hNo of hours to cost £ (ie admin)On cost @ 4.2% £Total £

Charges combined: £884.95

Cost breakdown:

Cost of bench - £48.99Transport cost - £10.50Uniform - £29.08 (£2.99x3 + 40px4 + 5.99x2 + £4x2)Labour - £519.40

Varnish - £23.99Laser cutting - £15Painting - £3Signage - £10Maintenance - £106Wheels - £13.99Clipboard - £1Printing of Contract - £4Printing of business cards - £15ID Cards - £10Leaflets - £15Web Design - £60

Bench charges:

1 hour @ £1.42 = £5.96 after 30 yrs2 hours @ £2.84 = £11.93 after 30 yrs3 hours @ £4.26 = £17.89 after 30 yrs4 hours @ £5.68 = £23.86 after 30 yrs5 hours @ £7.10 = £29.82 after 30 yrs6 hours @ £8.52 = £35.78 after 30 yrs7 hours @ £9.94 = £41.75 after 30 yrs8 hours @ £11.36 = £47.71 after 30 yrs9 hours @ £12.78 = £53.68 after 30 yrs10 hours @ £14.20 = £59.64 after 30 yrs

First three payments low with gradual increase liable to be paid after your professional and fi-nancial liabili-ties are no longer at risk in order to transfer risk to your children.

Private wing seat available for private finance creditors.

We can guarantee our prices will undercut any public service cost for bench provision and use. We are able to alter Investment Appraisal, mean-ing we will always ensure a cheaper price by a maximum of 0.006%.

A TASTER OF THE CONTRACT


THE CREATION OF COMMERCIALLY CONFIDENTIAL

The creation of our PFI company, Commercially Confidential, it involved many factors: logo and identity design, uniform, promotional material such as business cards and leaflets, a contract and scripting.

We wanted a official image to hoax people into believing we were a real company. Following a similar theme to other corporate companies like Skanska, we took inspiration from their image and corporate attitude. Focusing on the tip of the ice-berg; branding and script, so we were visibly au-thoritive and real.

To get into character of the Financial Director, Ann Wyatt, we spoke to people who had prior business in companies and took their experi-ence and translated it into a

stereotypical governmental member, taking inspiration from Jolyon Rubinstein, the TV personality.We designed a logo for Commercially Confidential, with inspiration taken from a figure we worked out from the spreadsheet: The PFI cost is 4.2 x the original cost (based on 80 of the PFI spreadsheet cases). As well as a logo for ‘The Bench Project’, which is simply a picnic bench, with a corner of it being in bold to represent the 4.2% figure.

We were fascinated by how easy it is to create a convincing company by designing a fake facade. People were willing to give us money when we charged them for certain things in Hyde Park, purely because we were wearing high-vis jackets.

full a4 image of someone in the uniform


full a4 image of someone in the uniform


Leaflet and business card (opposite - top)The contract (opposite - bottom)The logo (top - right)Business cards (middle - right)ID card (bottom - right)


OUR LOCATION

Initially, Ladywell Park in Lewisham, however we then moved onto new locations: outside Lewisham hospital and Deptford Green.

We picked these locations as there is a lot going on with PFI in these areas for us to talk to the audience about. For example, Lewisham hospital.

On Thursday, Ladywell fields wasnt good as it wasnt great weather so not many people. Peope looked agt the bench and walked away. Also on Thursday, we stopped at Lewisham hospital as it was busy and places to do secret filming, and incoprorated the hospital saying we were a subcontractor of their PFI scheme.On Saturday, Deptford green wasnt busy, even thoght it was the weekend. It was cold

and the only people that read it were families.

We had different approaches in each location:

Ladywell, we were only going to approach people that were about to sit down which didn’t work as no one sat down.We apparoached anyone that came to read it at Lewisham hospital, so it became more of a conversation piece, standing by the bench.Then at Deptford Green, we had a more forceful approach, where we were less illusive about the costs. We told them about the specific charges which got more of a reaction, as it gave them a gage of how much it would cost. The was more of a laughing reaction due to Ann’s more jargon approach.


LIVE FOOTAGE AT THE LOCATION

Scripting for Ladywell Park and Lewisham Hospital:

AW: Hi, can I give you these leaflets? (hand over business card and leaflet)My name’s Ann Wyatt, I’m FinancialDirector of Commercially Confidential.This is the first of many benches we hope to put up around the area and I’m doing some market research today to see what people think of the bench. Can I ask you if you think you’ve had a good service for your money today?

PC: My money?

AW: Oh you haven’t paid? Well we ask our clients to agree to sign this contract before using the bench and agree to a financial payment scheme. I’m afraid if you haven’t signed the contract I will have to ask you to leave the premises.

PC: Where is the money going to?

AW: We are a private finance company charging for public activity so it is public money going to private finance

corporations. We are actually a sub com-pany of the private finance company privatis-ing Lewisham Hospital. Are you aware of the initiatives going on in the local area?

PC: And what’s the use of that?

AW: Well we argue that byintroducing private finance schemes like this it eliminates the financial risk on the public sector.

PC: Well how much does it cost?

AW: (get out the contract) The payment scheme is all set out in this contract docu-ment, there’s a physical copy here for your reference if you wish to look into it. But we tend not to discuss financial issues in order to protect our creditors.What I can tell you is that when you sign the contract, you agree to a thirty year payment plan. The price of your stay today will be split into thirty annualpayments, and that unitary charge will start off relatively small and then get gradually bigger each year.


Scripting for Deptford Green:

AW: Hi, I have these information leaflets (hand over business card and leaflet).My name’s Ann Wyatt, I’m FinancialDirector of Commercially Confidential. I am circulating around the area today to see how people feel about theseprivately owned public activity resources.We are currently charging £1.42 per minute to use this bench, as you have entered the prem-ises (check watch) ... minutes ago, I will have to ask you to sign this contract agreeing to a 30 year payment scheme plan with graduallyincreased compound interest charges. You will eventually end up paying (use calculator) ... amount. If I could ask you to go online and sign the contract.

PC: I don’t agree with this it’sridiculous.

AW: You do have the right to dispute this pay-ment with me today, however, if you wish to do so, we ask you to pay an administration charge

for a payment dispute form this usually takes around 28 days to arrive. Failing this, I will have to ask you to vacate the premises and you can visit the website in the leaflet here (point out pfivspeople.org leaflet).

PC: I don’t really want to use the bench today

AW: I’m afraid as you’ve alreadyentered within a 5 metre radius of the bench, you’ve been enjoying ourbeautiful facilities and I will have to charge you the relevant unitary charge.

PC: Where does this money go?AW: The money goes back toCommercially confidentia to help fund and maintain our lesiur facilities. We argue that by using the private finance system it eliminates the risk to the public sector.

(AW: ANN WYATT)(PC: POTENTIAL CUSTOMER)


Transcriptions for:

Thursday 19th march interactions:

Ladywell Fields

No interactions. Waited for people to sit down before approaching which didn’t happen. People just came up to read the writing. One woman took a photo of the bench and walked past.

THURSDAY 19TH MARCH INTERACTIONS: LEWISHAM HOSPITAL

Instead of waiting for people to sit down we ap-proached those coming up to read and inspect the bench as well. Became more of a discussion next to the bench discussing it as an artefact.

Transcript 5:

Man 1 sits on bench looking across road towards Lewisham Hospital. He has not read the writing or looked at the contract.

Ann: Hiya.

Man 1: Hello.

Ann: My name’s Ann Wyatt I’m Financial Director of Commercially Confidential. I’m just doing some market research to see what your opinion is of the service.

Man 1: As in that you’ve put down a chair?

Ann: Yeh. Do you think you’ve had a good service for your money?

Man 1: Well I appreciate it you know lady because you know when you are injured. You know. And you need somewhere to sit down for five minutes.

Ann: Yeh. And do you feel like the price for it and the service-

Man 1: -I don’t know what the price is or nothing.

Ann: Well actually to use our bench you have to sign the contract. Have you signed the contract?

Man 1: No.

Ann: Ah ok. Well I’m afraid I have to ask you to sign the contract. For the bench.

Man 1: (Gets up.) Ah. I was only resting. Yeh. What does it say?

Ann: So this is the contract. There’s a physical copy here.

Man 1: Oh right.

Ann: And. You go online and you sign and you agree to annual payment for the bench.

Man 1: Ok.

Ann: And they’re annual payments which increase. Um.

Man 1: Well surely this is supposed to be like um beneficial to the injured and the poor innit?

Ann: Well we argue that by paying for public service-

Man 1: Right.

Ann: -It’s eliminating the risk to the pub-lic taxpayer and um. Money goes to -

Man 1: Does it go to charity?

Ann: No it goes to. We’re a private finance company. So um. The money then goes to private companies for pub-lic services.

Man 1: Ok. Are you going to be here to-day?

Ann: Yeh.


Man 1: Well I’ve got an appointment and you know what I’ll do after that I’ll stop and have a chat.

Ann: Ok. Alright.

Man 1: Yeh?

Ann: Yeh that sounds good.

Man 1: Ok?

Ann: Thank you.

Man 1: Well thank you guys anyway.

Ann: Thank you for your time.

Man 1: Ok then you take care yeh?

Ann: You too.

Man 1 doesn’t come back.

Saturday 21st march interactions

Deptford green

Transcript 2:

Children lean their bikes on bench and climb on it. They lead Woman 2 towards bench. Ann ap-proaches.

Ann: Hello. Can i give you these leaf-lets? My name’s Ann Wyatt I’m Financial Director of Commercially Confidential. And. Um. We are currently charging £1.42 per minute to use this bench. And. Um. As you’ve been on the premises for 3 minutes now. I will have to ask you to agree to sign

the contract. Um to pay. It’s a thirty year contract that you agree to sign up to. Um. With an-nual payments.

Woman 2: So. If you want to use the bench we have to pay £1?

Ann: Er well it’s er after a 30 year um payment scheme. It’s all in the contract um which you can apply to see as well if you wish but after 3 minutes and 30 years it will end up costing you £17.82.

Woman 2: (Laughs) I’m sorry that all sounds so funny to me (laughs.)

Ann: We’re a private finance company called Commercially Confidential. Do you agree to sign the contract?Woman 2: (Laughs.) No.

Ann: No? Well you can um dispute the payment if you wish um but you have to receive an administration charge for a payment dispute form and this usually takes 28 days to arrive.

Woman 2: No. No i’m not. (Talks to child for a while.) Er. No. No Sorry I’m not signing.

Ann: Oh. I will have to ask you to not use the bench.

Woman 2: No problem at all. As you can see I haven’t actually used it.

Ann: Ok. Thank you. (Walks away.)

Woman 2 leads her children away from the bench.


ANTHROPOLOGICAL STUDY

Country Oak Picnic Bench. Case 2.19th March 2015

Ladywell Park, High Street, Lewisham, London and Edward Street, London.

A park being a free public space encourages social behaviour and also physical activity. Society appreciates recreational space as it is their space to claim and do what they will with it, considering park etiquette and closing times. It is easy to take the free space for granted. Once in awhile it is useful to remind ourselves of these basic values and reaffirm their essential worth. Another thing that can be taken unnoticed is the economic value of the park. The region of Ladywell Fields is approximate to a small row of shops and cafés with all the necessities. The park works as a pathway to the hospital and so we observed the motion of people there being a lot faster than other parks. We also witnessed undergoing construction for Skanska mainte-nance on the 19th of March. Playing the corpo-rate roles given to each member of the team, we had conversation with the builders on site, who were quite convinced.

The bench product was placed in the centre of the green space, before the bridge over the water. The space was scenic and pleasant. We agreed that this spot would be most popular due to the views and some seating down another path, yet you had to walk further to reach the seating in that area, in response to these seats, we had the bench closer to the main path – easy to reach and clear visibility.

There was immediate reaction as a public mem-ber interacted with the bench. She was leaving the hospital and had her lunch on the bench after reading the instructions on the table top. The

bench was not in complete form at that moment in time, as the surveillance box was not in place. We noted that the surveillance box was intimidat-ing later as it is a suspicious object in itself. Most attempting users would get to read the in-structions informing them of the contract needing to be signed and the general consensus was to walk away after.

The bench was in place for 2 hours and 26 min-utes in the middle of Ladywell Fields and was not getting that much interaction from the public. The majority of people acted oblivious to the bench. At 13.20 hours, the bench relocated to the front of the Lewisham Hospital where there is a green space across the street. Here it was busier and there was a bus stop near by and also apartment blocks so people would be lingering longer and were more responsive when interacting with the bench.

We had many patients react to the bench, and at times they would mention their reason for being ill or injured and expected sympathy from our character Ann Wyatt. There was a general bad acknowledgement toward the bench and con-tract.

We agreed that the box was intimidating from the way people avoided the bench at times and our scripting was off and so keeping this in mind we reassessed and experimented with the bench at Deptford Green. When the bench was in full operation to be used in the Green, there was next to no interaction for the first couple of hours, none when we were further from the children’s playground. So initially the bench was moved closer to the playground however, families be-gan to take notice of the bench and inspect it. The only people who actually sat on the bench however were children. Perhaps this is because


the bench was so evidently different to other benches and also the children would not com-prehend a binding contract. There is however an expectation overall that no matter what the bench looks like - it should be free. People we spoke to laughed and generally seemed quite negative when asked for personal financing. It showed a lack of understanding as to what’s happening in their community thanks to PFI and it showed that when pushed to respond, people do not want privatisation of their resources. We must look into how there can be an easier to access

middle point. We could take this forward in ways of offering a petition or event for public to go to, free of charge. People react when money is involved, what if we were to offer them jobs in our company or act more authoritatively toward rejecting users, using law as an enforcer. This experiment has been successful in agitating peo-ple and hopefully letting it linger in their curious minds.


Lucy Sharpe

Nina Smale

Eve Hohwieler

Elena Terrones-Huet

Alicia Simpson-Watt

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