camille walala scatters sculptural benches animated by color and pattern in arkansas

the pieces work collectively to establish a visual cadence along the street, transforming moments of rest into encounters with form and color.

thomai tsimpou December 12, 2025 4 min

Camille Walala and the language of color in the public realm

Bold blocks of color and chunky geometric forms define The Walala Lounge, Camille Walala’s permanent public installation in downtown Bentonville, Arkansas. Spread across the streets of the market district, the project transforms benches and planters into oversized sculptural steel elements, using saturated hues and graphic contrasts. Curated by justkids, the pieces work collectively to establish a visual cadence along the street, transforming moments of rest, waiting, and gathering into shared encounters with form and color.

Walala describes the project as an opportunity to move beyond surface-based work and into shared, physical experience. ‘In 2022, I painted two buildings at the Northwest Arkansas National Airport. This time, we got to move beyond murals to 3D sculptural pieces of furniture in downtown,’ notes the designer. ‘I wanted to take unusual shapes and turn them into meeting points. I love public art and creating free, joyful spaces where people can share everyday moments together. I can’t wait to see how people use these pieces.’

camille walala scatters sculptural benches animated by color and pattern in arkansas - 1 — The Walala Lounge by Camille Walala, curated by Justkids, courtesy of Oz Art NWA | all images courtesy of Justkids

turning urban furniture into sculptural infrastructure

London-based designer Camille Walala brings her language of color, pattern, and geometry to the streets of Bentonville, Arkansas, with The Walala Lounge, a permanent public installation composed of ten sculptural benches and ten planters distributed across the city’s market district. Installed throughout the walkable block, the project reframes everyday urban furniture as a street-wide artistic intervention, turning places of pause into moments of visual and social activation.

Known internationally for her large-scale public works, Walala approaches the city as a canvas. Each piece operates simultaneously as infrastructure and sculpture, encouraging people to sit, gather, and move through the city chasing the vibrant benches. Curated by Justkids for OZ Art NWA, the installation builds on a temporary project the artist previously realized in London but is presented here as an entirely new and permanent work, designed specifically for Bentonville.

camille walala scatters sculptural benches animated by color and pattern in arkansas - 2 — bold blocks of color and chunky geometric forms define The Walala Lounge

Bentonville becomes the site of a street-wide installation

Fabricated entirely in steel for long-term outdoor use, each bench weighs approximately 1130 kilograms and is constructed from bold geometric components, cuboids, cylinders, and arches, assembled into playful, architectural forms. While no two pieces are identical, they remain visually linked through Walala’s signature palette and graphic contrasts.

Installed along Town Branch, an inclusive residential community, the benches and planters introduce a playful cadence into the urban fabric. Their distribution encourages sitting, waiting, talking, resting, while shifting expectations of what public space can look and feel like.