Art, space and the city : public art and urban futures

Public art - the making, management and mediation of art outside its conventional location in museums and galleries, and the livable city - a concept involving user-centred strategies for urban planning and design, are both socially produced but have emerged from different fields and tend to be discussed in isolation. This book applies a range of critical perspectives which have emerged from different disciplines - art criticism, urban design, urban sociology, geography and critical theory - to examine the practice of art for urban public spaces, seeing public art from positions outside those of the art world to ask how it might contribute to possible urban futures. Exploring the diversity of urban politics, the functions of public space and its relation to the structures of power, the roles of professionals and users in the construction of the city, the gendering of space and the ways in which space and citizen are represented, the book explains how these issues are as relevant to architecture, urban design and urban planning as they are to public art. Drawing on a wealth of images from across the UK and Europe and the USA, in particular, the author questions the effectiveness of public art in achieving more convivial urban environments, whilst retaining the idea that imagining possible futures is as much part of a democratic society as using public space. Arts, Language and Literature BOOK COVER 1 HALF-TITLE 2 TITLE 3 COPYRIGHT 4 CONTENTS 5 FIGURES 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 8 INTRODUCTION 9 THE AIM OF THE BOOK 9 For whom is the book written? 10 Selected sources 10 Organisation 11 ART IN PUBLIC SPACES—AN OUTLINE OF THE TERRITORY 11 Reception 13 Is all art public? 15 Meaning and mediation 17 A context of urban crises 18 Conclusion 19 1 THE CITY 20 INTRODUCTION 20 VIEWS OF A CITY 20 Concepts and forms 21 IMAGES OF THE CITY AND SOCIAL VALUE 22 Urban catastrophe? 23 Future-cities as past cities? 26 ORDER AND APPEARANCE—THE AGORA AND THE GRID 26 The agora of Athens 27 PLANNING THE CITY 28 Exclusion and confinement 28 URBAN PLANNING 29 THE ‘PLANNING GAZE’ 31 2 SPACE, REPRESENTATION AND GENDER 33 INTRODUCTION 33 THE PROBLEM OF REPRESENTATION 33 An empire of signs? 35 THE REPRESENTATIONS OF SPACE 36 Bleakness and interiority 36 The production of space 36 Gendered representations 37 REASON AND INTERIORITY 38 EXCLUSION 38 Women and urban space 40 A cultural exclusion zone 40 STRATEGIES OF RESISTANCE 42 Reclamation 43 3 THE MONUMENT 44 INTRODUCTION 44 ART IN THE STREETS 44 THE MONUMENT AND NATIONAL IDENTITY 45 AFFIRMATIVE CULTURE 46 THE MONUMENT—HISTORY AND HEGEMONY 47 Hegemony 47 Legitimate memory 50 THE LANGUAGE OF ALLEGORY 51 Victory and liberty 52 FRAMEWORKS 53 RESISTANCES AND THE DEMOCRATISATION OF THE MONUMENT 55 Anti-monuments 56 4 THE CONTRADICTIONS OF PUBLIC ART 60 INTRODUCTION 60 PROBLEMATISING PUBLIC ART 60 Art and architecture? 62 THE LITERATURE OF PUBLIC ART 64 Art in a City 64 Art Within Reach 65 ADVOCACY 66 CRITICISM 67 Bottle of Notes 68 Out of Order 68 Critical sources and issues 69 Histories 69 AN END OF CONTRADICTIONS? 70 5 ART IN URBAN DEVELOPMENT 71 INTRODUCTION 71 A CASE FOR ART? 71 Social zoning 71 Gentrification 72 Cultural industries 73 Arts policy as advocacy 73 Development and regeneration 75 CARDIFF BAY 75 PUBLIC ART IN THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS 76 Birmingham 76 A central cultural district? 77 Swindon 79 Broadgate 79 BATTERY PARK CITY 79 Sympathetic description 79 Critical enquiry 80 London Docklands 82 SUNDERLAND 83 Evaluation 85 URBAN DEVELOPMENT AS HEGEMONY 85 6 ART AND METROPOLITAN PUBLIC TRANSPORT 88 INTRODUCTION 88 METRO ART AND CITIES 88 ART IN THE NEW YORK SUBWAY 89 ART IN THE LONDON UNDERGROUND 90 MODERNITY AND NOSTALGIA 91 Modernity 92 Nostalgia 95 ART, TRANSPORT AND THE PUBLIC REALM 95 Corporate art on the railway 96 Community art in transit 96 A reappraisal? 96 7 ART IN HEALTH SERVICES 99 INTRODUCTION 99 THE ROLE OF ART IN HEALTH CARE 99 ART IN THE NHS NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS 101 EVALUATION 103 CHANGING THE CULTURE 105 Patient-centred care 105 8 ART AS A SOCIAL PROCESS 107 INTRODUCTION 107 ART AT THE END OF MODERNISM? 107 ART IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST 108 The Domestic Violence Milk Carton 109 SOCIAL HEALING 110 The Art Studios 110 Art and AIDS 112 CULTURAL DIVERSITY 113 Art and difference 114 The Art of Change 115 ART BY NATIVE PEOPLES 115 ECOLOGICAL HEALING 117 New genre art for ecological healing 118 CONCLUSION 119 9 CONVIVIAL CITIES 121 INTRODUCTION 121 URBAN FUTURES 121 A new urban discourse 122 Alternatives 122 Goals for urban life 123 PUBLIC SPACE 123 The social life of small urban spaces 124 Empowerment of urban dwellers 126 STRATEGIES FOR ART, CRAFT AND DESIGN 129 Integration 130 INTERVENTION 130 Sustainability? 132 NOTES 134 FURTHER READING 150 INTRODUCTION 150 1 THE CITY 150 2 SPACE, REPRESENTATION AND GENDER 150 3 THE MONUMENT 151 4 THE CONTRADICTIONS OF PUBLIC ART 151 5 ART IN URBAN DEVELOPMENT 151 6 ART AND METROPOLITAN PUBLIC TRANSPORT 152 7 ART IN HEALTH SERVICES 152 8 ART AS A SOCIAL PROCESS 152 9 CONVIVIAL CITIES 153 BIBLIOGRAPHY 154 INDEX 162 BOOK COVER......Page 1 HALF-TITLE......Page 2 TITLE......Page 3 COPYRIGHT......Page 4 CONTENTS......Page 5 FIGURES......Page 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......Page 8 THE AIM OF THE BOOK......Page 9 Selected sources......Page 10 ART IN PUBLIC SPACES—AN OUTLINE OF THE TERRITORY......Page 11 Reception......Page 13 Is all art public?......Page 15 Meaning and mediation......Page 17 A context of urban crises......Page 18 Conclusion......Page 19 VIEWS OF A CITY......Page 20 Concepts and forms......Page 21 IMAGES OF THE CITY AND SOCIAL VALUE......Page 22 Urban catastrophe?......Page 23 ORDER AND APPEARANCE—THE AGORA AND THE GRID......Page 26 The agora of Athens......Page 27 Exclusion and confinement......Page 28 URBAN PLANNING......Page 29 THE ‘PLANNING GAZE’......Page 31 THE PROBLEM OF REPRESENTATION......Page 33 An empire of signs?......Page 35 The production of space......Page 36 Gendered representations......Page 37 EXCLUSION......Page 38 A cultural exclusion zone......Page 40 STRATEGIES OF RESISTANCE......Page 42 Reclamation......Page 43 ART IN THE STREETS......Page 44 THE MONUMENT AND NATIONAL IDENTITY......Page 45 AFFIRMATIVE CULTURE......Page 46 Hegemony......Page 47 Legitimate memory......Page 50 THE LANGUAGE OF ALLEGORY......Page 51 Victory and liberty......Page 52 FRAMEWORKS......Page 53 RESISTANCES AND THE DEMOCRATISATION OF THE MONUMENT......Page 55 Anti-monuments......Page 56 PROBLEMATISING PUBLIC ART......Page 60 Art and architecture?......Page 62 Art in a City......Page 64 Art Within Reach......Page 65 ADVOCACY......Page 66 CRITICISM......Page 67 Out of Order......Page 68 Histories......Page 69 AN END OF CONTRADICTIONS?......Page 70 Social zoning......Page 71 Gentrification......Page 72 Arts policy as advocacy......Page 73 CARDIFF BAY......Page 75 Birmingham......Page 76 A central cultural district?......Page 77 Sympathetic description......Page 79 Critical enquiry......Page 80 London Docklands......Page 82 SUNDERLAND......Page 83 URBAN DEVELOPMENT AS HEGEMONY......Page 85 METRO ART AND CITIES......Page 88 ART IN THE NEW YORK SUBWAY......Page 89 ART IN THE LONDON UNDERGROUND......Page 90 MODERNITY AND NOSTALGIA......Page 91 Modernity......Page 92 ART, TRANSPORT AND THE PUBLIC REALM......Page 95 A reappraisal?......Page 96 THE ROLE OF ART IN HEALTH CARE......Page 99 ART IN THE NHS NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS......Page 101 EVALUATION......Page 103 Patient-centred care......Page 105 ART AT THE END OF MODERNISM?......Page 107 ART IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST......Page 108 The Domestic Violence Milk Carton......Page 109 The Art Studios......Page 110 Art and AIDS......Page 112 CULTURAL DIVERSITY......Page 113 Art and difference......Page 114 ART BY NATIVE PEOPLES......Page 115 ECOLOGICAL HEALING......Page 117 New genre art for ecological healing......Page 118 CONCLUSION......Page 119 URBAN FUTURES......Page 121 Alternatives......Page 122 PUBLIC SPACE......Page 123 The social life of small urban spaces......Page 124 Empowerment of urban dwellers......Page 126 STRATEGIES FOR ART, CRAFT AND DESIGN......Page 129 INTERVENTION......Page 130 Sustainability?......Page 132 NOTES......Page 134 2 SPACE, REPRESENTATION AND GENDER......Page 150 5 ART IN URBAN DEVELOPMENT......Page 151 8 ART AS A SOCIAL PROCESS......Page 152 9 CONVIVIAL CITIES......Page 153 BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 154 INDEX......Page 162 Asks How Art And Design Can Contribute To Urban Futures. It Investigates The Critical Perspectives Of Cultural Geography, Urban Sociology And Critical Theory, Through Analyses Of The City, Urban Space And Its Gendering, And The Monument--page Ii. The City -- Space, Representation And Gender -- The Monument -- The Contradictions Of Public Art -- Art In Urban Development -- Art And Metropolitan Public Transport -- Art In Health Services -- Art As A Social Process -- Convivial Cities. Malcolm Miles. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [239]-258) And Index. This book examines public art outside the normal confines of art criticism and places it within broader contexts of public space and gender by exploring both the aesthetic and political aspects of the medium