Art in Public Places. Memory, Intervention and the Everyday
Political theorist Oliver Marchart describes the public realm as principle, rather than a physical space. Defined by the coming together, debates and interactions of different generations and interest groups, public places – the way they are perceived, used, and accessed – are constantly changing. Artworks commissioned for these places reflect these shifts.
The increasing political polarization and radicalization within democratic societies, queer and feminist movements with their demands for more inclusion and visibility, but also the expansion of the digital sphere as a supposedly global public space have increased attention to the use and accessibility of public space. This thesis looks at the development of art in public places from the mid-1980s to the present day and explores the extent to which it can contribute to making places more accessible and promoting democratic participation.
I start from three main research questions: How can art...
... influence the use of public places and access to them?
... promote cross-generational and cross-interest dialogs between different social groups?
... make civil concerns and needs visible and empowered to act?
Interested in the interweaving of politics, theory and artistic practice, I want to approach these questions tracing the theoretical discourse surrounding public places and democracy, and set it in relation to art historical as well as cultural policy developments that have influenced the commissioning and implementing of public artworks in Germany and Great Britain from the mid-1980s to the present.
Through close analysis of four case studies, I explore the long-term impact of their respective approaches. Interested in the overall process of implementation, I examine how the projects were implemented, executed and the long-term impact they have on local structures. My aim is to identify the similarities and differences between the four case studies, their respective advantages and disadvantages and how these affect my research questions regarding accessibility, use, visibility and participation.