Sustainable Design & the Built Environment Beam

Seven Virtues of Public Space How the arts in different cultures can inform and effect the development of public space

Ian Banks Director of Atoll Wednesday 21st December 2011

Ian Banks Background

Architect: 1986-2011

Key Experience: Chartered Architect with 25 years post-qualification experience including a diverse portfolio of designing and project managing major capital projects and public art and architecture collaborations both cultural and commercial.

www.atoll-uk.com

ACE NW: 2000-04

Key Experience: Officer involved throughout NW. Helped support key strategic projects, Local Authority Arts Officers and regional GftA bids for public realm. Created public art guidebook and public art northwest website and public art funding guidelines with ACE NW for NWDA in 2002.

www.publicartnorthwest.org.uk

Atoll: 2005-11

Key Experience: Co-Author in last 6 years of urban design and public realm frameworks (with Gillespies LLP) for Carlisle, Lancaster and Bradford City Councils; (with Beam) for Halton, Derby, Craven and Markham Vale Councils; and sole author of independent public art strategies for Cheshire East and Chester & Cheshire West , Preston, St. Helens and Burnley Councils.

www.atoll-uk.com

Public Art Timeline

Origins

.....1400BC...200BC.126AD1200...1319.................15041791

There are no real rules or originality in determining the iconic influence of art in our public spaces today. Its evolutionary timeline is thousands of years old, and has ultimately been informed culturally (and in many cases, funded) via the overriding drivers of a particular era.

Influences

..1843.1886....1901.. 1927.1930.1931... 1950

Cultural, religious, political, military, commemorative, revolutionary, utopian, regenerative, celebratory or even media & marketing have all influenced our public art at one time or other. In some cases, the cycle has even come around full circle.

Public Art as Icon in UK

1951

Festival of Britain focused on hope in rebuilding Britain through good design after the war. Centred on the South Bank, but also a touring exhibition, it also marked the centenary of the 1851 Great Exhibition. Its icon was the Skylon, created by Hidalgo Moya, Philip Powell and Felix Samuely and Dome of Discovery (all later scrapped by the later Churchill Government).

1980

National Garden Festivals were part of the cultural regeneration of large areas of derelict land in post-industrial Britain during the 80s and early 90s. Five were held in total - one every two years, each in a different town or city - after the idea was pushed by environment secretary Michael Hestletine.

1983

Polaris by David Mach used 6000 old car tires arranged in the shape of a Polaris submarine on the South Bank to protest against nuclear arms race. A man disagreed, and tried to burn it down by lighting petrol but sadly got caught in the flames and later died.

1988

Percent for Art legislation was first proposed by, Arts Council of Great Britain in 1988 based on the advice of Robert Carnworth QCs to enhance the built environment by encouraging developers to devote a proportion of capital expenditure to the provision of art, craft or decoration. The debate still rages.

1994

National Lottery Fund has injected around 2 billion into the arts since inception in 1994. The Millennium Fund also awarded 200m to 32,000 applicants to mark the new century and invested in a range of projects and project sizes. Lottery funding continues to be very important and funds ACEs Grants for the Arts for example www.artscouncil.org.uk

1993

Art Angel curated House by Rachel Whiteread in Londons East End. Artangel was set up to commission and produce exceptional projects by outstanding contemporary artists, as they still do today - www.artangel.org.uk

1998

Newcastle-Gateshead / Angel of the North by Anthony Gormley has seeded many copycat proposals from Regeneration agencies where biggest or most expensive is the datum (i.e. See Mark Wallingers Ebbsfleet White Horse and Anish Kapoors Temenos) -

www.angelofthenorth.org.uk

2008

New Icons of the North was a 4.5m public art fund created out of regional marketing and tourism monies from the 100m The Northern Way fund of the 3 northern RDAs and Arts Council. Biggest projects include Richard Wilsons Turning the Place Over (above), Another Place by Anthony Gormley and Channel 4s Big Art Project

www.thenorthernway.co.uk

2011

London 2012 Olympic Park Orbit by Anish Kapoor will become the largest public art work in UK

www.orbittower.org.uk

Art as Social Engager

How can the arts in different cultures inform and effect the development of public space?

Starting Point: What are the virtues of public space? Firmly tongue-in-cheek, the Seven Heavenly Virtues were first coined by the Greek philosophers, Aristotle and Pato (Liberality, Temperance, Chastity, Humility, Patience, Dilligence & Kindness). They were linked and directly opposed the Cooresponding Seven Deadly Sins (Greed, Gluttony, Lust, Pride, Wrath, Sloth & Envy). In terms of considering the civic influence from art on our shared sense of public spaces, the following case studies are suggested as a starting point for discussion:

1. Liberality

(v Greed)

Will, benevolence, generosity, sacrifice

Symbiosis
Town Square, City of Sugar Land: http://www.sugarlandtownsquare.com/events

UK Case Study:
Unilever Series (Established 2000)

Unilever Series is an annual commission sponsored by Unilever that invites international artist to make a work of art especially for Tate Modern's Turbine Hall. The Series has resulted in some of the most innovative and significant sculptures of recent years including The Weather Project by Olafur Eliasson (2003-04), and the recent Sunflower Seeds (2010-11) by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei - www.tate.org.uk

2. Temperance

(v Gluttony)

Self-Control, justice, honour, abstention

Public Ownership
Crown Fountain, Chicago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5z1ZvibiGg&feature=related

UK Case Study:
St.Helens Dream (First Established c2002)

BIG Art Trust was funded by The Northern Way, The Art Fund and Arts Council England to deliver 7 projects documented by Channel 4. The most notable of these was St Helens Dream by Jaume Plensa for the old Sutton Colliery site www.dreamsthelens.com

3. Humility

(v Pride)

Bravery, modesty, reverence, altruism

Pop-Up Holistic
Urban Physic Garden, Southwark: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-13716893

UK Case Study:
Arts of Place (2010)

Arts of Place was developed by Beam as an innovative multi-disciplinary approach to socially and environmentally-led place-making. It was a complimentary strand to the 20m Bradford City Park (Mirrorpool) - www.artsofplace.org.uk/

4. Chastity

(v Lust)

Purity, knowledge, honesty, wisdom

Story Telling
Sultans Elephant, Nantes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4V2KCCywvc

UK Case Study:
Margate Exodus (2006)

Exodus was a film that included the burning of a 25-m high sculpture by Anthony Gormley with a cast of thousands. It transformed Margate into a contemporary setting for an epic film by Penny Woolcock inspired by the Old Testament Book shown by Channel 4. The public were invited to actively take part - www.margateexodus.org.uk

5. Patience

(v Wrath)

Peace, mercy, ahimsa, sufferance

Constructive Deconstructivism
1968 LAtelier Populaire, Paris: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmylN5f2f74

UK Case Study:
Banksy (Established 1992)

Banksy although a graffiti artist from 1990s began stencilling around 2000. Messages are often anti-war, anti-capitalist or anti-establishment but always humorous. Works are increasing being retained and valued as permanent public art www.banksy.co.uk

6. Diligence

(v Sloth)

Persistence, effort, ethics, rectitude

Social Engagement
Living as Form, Creative Time, New York: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqfvnQXV9TM

UK Case Study:
Liverpool Biennial (Established 1999)

Liverpool Biennial 2002 commissioned Villa Victoire by Tatsouru Bashi - an elevated and fully working one-bedroom hotel built around Queen Victoria Monument in Derby Square. A 15m statue of Queen Victoria loomed over the double bed - www.biennial.com

7. Kindness

(v Envy)

Satisfaction, loyalty, compassion, integrity

Pay it Forward
Improv Everywhere, NYC: http://youtu.be/Abt8aAB-Dr0

UK Case Study:
Fourth Plinth (Established 1998) & One and Other (2009)

Fourth Plinth temporary installation by the RSA on Trafalgar Squares vacant plinth have included Anthony Gormleys One and Other (2009).

www.fourthplinth.co.uk / www.oneandother.co.uk

Future Questions Living Places Cleaner, Safer, Greener

The Department of Communities and Local Government under its Living Places and related Planning Policy Guidance 17 (Planning for Open Space, Sport and Recreation) previously called for safe, well-maintained and attractive public spaces to have a critical role in creating pride in the places where we live to building community cohesion.

Exciting Places Edgier, Riskier, Artier

This is good, and the same will still apply to the Big Society and Localism Agendas, but where will this now leave the critically under-funded arts sector and artists? Safe is good, but perhaps managed risk is more exciting. Do we in the UK over-manage and protect our public spaces and community use within it too much? Does this kill an element of cultural vitality and life? What lessons are to be learnt looking at international examples?

Post Script Some Cultural Differences Explored

Palazzo Republicco Il First run in 1656 in honour of Madonna of Provenzano, Il Palio horse race is run twice yearly with each rider representing a Contrade (City Ward).

Appleby Horse Fair (A Dating from 1750 and held a week every June, it attracts 10,000 Gypsies & Travellers and 30,000 other visitors. It is the largest and oldest horse fair.

La Tomatina (Tomato Fe Buol, Spain) This major international festival, started in 1944 in response to a mass brawl and tomato fight between local rivals.

Uppies and Downies (Mas Workington, UK) This Medievel ball game is played annually over Easter. Played between the towns colliers and sailers (their goal being Workington Hall and Merchants Quay respectively).

Ian Banks Director of Atoll