Spatial Practices Spring Series: Fundamentals – Public Art

As the kamikaze pilots of urban renewal, wherever artists go the cranes are sure to follow. Rents will rise, the artists will move on and the pre-existing community will be kicked out with them. But how can artists play a meaningful role in regeneration? How can public art go beyond the shiny bauble, the token garnish used to distract from the mean-minded reality of commercial development? Can the art strategies of the “placemaking” industry truly add value to a place, or are they destined to be a soothing salve for the developers' conscience? From bottom-up community art projects to strategic cultural commissions, what directions might London's public art follow?

For more information, please click here.