Liefdespad Ruurlo

Love for education

Look, learn, and wonder. This binocular bench by Studio Popinga invites you to do more than just sit — it invites you to discover. Strategically placed along the Liefdespad, this remarkable bench serves as an open invitation to view the landscape with fresh eyes — and to learn about its history. Mothership acted as curator, executor, and project manager for this project, ensuring that the artwork was seamlessly integrated into the public space of Ruurlo.

Designed by Wim Poppinga, who works at the intersection of product design, architecture, landscape design, and visual art, this bench is a prime example of educational design. Its form resembles a binocular — an instrument for focused and attentive observation. And that is exactly what this place invites you to do: take a closer look — what do you see, what do you know, what do you want to know?

The surrounding landscape bears traces of a rich past — from farmsteads to estates, from natural development to human intervention. The binocular bench quite literally makes you pause, allowing the story of the land to settle in.

In the context of the Liefdespad, this bench symbolizes love for knowledge, history, and context. Not by imposing information, but by sparking curiosity. In doing so, Studio Popinga connects aesthetics with education — and the landscape with learning.