outhouse gallery
what’s on
outhouse magazine
SWAB
2026 OPEN CALL
about
ARCHIVE
exhibitions
events
workshops
Olivia Crosby
Olivia Crosby is a Greek-American designer and maker focused on creating caring spaces for meaningful conversation.
Through art objects, furniture, and exhibition design, she is interested in uplifting the poetics and simple acts of generosity that fill in the gap when our language begins to fail around more tender and sensitive topics. After recently graduating from the Royal College of Art, she is focused on the support that physical forms and thoughtful design can provide in navigating difficult dialogues and histories around grief and loss.
website
By Olivia Crosby
Knock-down park bench, made of plywood
2024
Public benches keep us company. They are where we go to idle away time in the company of strangers or sit with the sore parts of ourselves, and sometimes both. This bench is inspired by the classic Royal Parks pattern circa 1875, and can be disassembled and moved to where it is needed. One of the most simple gestures of generosity you can offer someone is a place to rest their feet and stay as long as they need. This bench is a reminder that sometimes the first step in meeting people where they are can be inviting them to sit. If grief is love with no place to go, then I hope you know you can sit here and bring it with you. This project was recently displayed as part of a workshop during the 2024 London Design Festival called Made to Share, a pop-up making space for sharing skills and appreciating small moments around us.
-
public offering was the starting point for the see you in the park exhibition. this humbly beautiful piece, with its history and publicly accessible nature, was what inspired curator alicja orzechowska to build the wider curatorial project.
the bench needed a new home when olivia returned to the u.s. after her visa came to an end. outhouse adopted it and placed it just outside the gallery. for several months, it became part of the daily rhythm of brunswick park, offering a sunny resting spot and a place for chance encounters. eventually, it was removed at the request of the local council, who raised concerns about its safety.
during its time in the park, the bench naturally weathered the elements — marked by rain, sunlight, and the gentle wear of everyday use. these traces became part of its story, carrying with them the memory of the people who sat, paused, and shared a moment of rest together.
you can read more about the bench at olivia’s website
assembly guide