Art in the Public Space

Defining Public Art

Public art is the term given to an art form of
any medium that has been designed,
executed & placed in a space that is
accessible to the public which can vary from
a city square or the wall or courtyard of a
building.
Its a form of communication that augments
the visual nature of the place and adds a
personal touch to the place.
Public art is a rather bold way of expression
of ideas & issues; global, social and moral;
that can readily reach out to larger
audiences.
It attempts to bring a new lease of life to a
place by attempting to portray the
place/space as an activity centre.
It is an endeavour to engage the
individual/the community between itself and
with the space.

Forms of Public Art

Examples of public art can be seen in many
forms and can be broadly classified as the
following types :-

Statues

Sculptures

Murals

Graffiti

Installations

Landscape features topiary, water

features

Interactive public art

Buildings as sculptural imitations

Digital Art

Statues

Sculptures

Murals

Grafitti

Installations

as Landscape Features

Interactive Public art

Buildings as Sculptures

The Relevance for Public

Art

Any art form is a mode of expression.

Public art, even though it is used to
express issues, it is also about portraying
the views of individuals & communities.
As a part of a rejuvenation project, it can
help an area identify itself as an activity
hub.
It is a significant medium to tell stories
about people and communities in a more
interactive way than just facts and
figures on documents.
As demonstrated by Nancy Ann Coyle in
her skywalk project, public art can
address issues regarding diversity of
cultures in the community & the need to
address issues that they face.

Examples of Public Art in the Cities

New York

Adequate public access

Proportionate to space

No obstruction to public
movement

Maintained

Public Art in the Cities

London Parliament
Square

As per context

Adequate public access

Proportionate to space

No obstruction to public movement

Maintained

Public Art in the Cities

London Trafalgar Square

As per context

Adequate public access

Proportionate to space

No obstruction to public
movement

Maintained

Public Art in Indian Cities

For long, the word Public art in most Indian cities has been associated with bust(s) or statues
gratifying religious deities & political leaders.

Public Art in Indian Cities

Delhi

Difficulty of Public access

Proportionate to space

Maintained

Context..??

Public Art in Indian Cities

Bangalore

Adequate Public access

Proportionate to space

Maintained

Context..??

Public Art in Indian Cities

Rishikesh

Difficulty of Public access

Proportionate to space

Factors Governing Public Art

-

CONTEXT

READABILITY WITH RESPECT TO

SPACE/SURROUNDINGS

EASE OF ACCESS TO PUBLIC

UNOBSTRUCTIVE PUBLIC
MOVEMENT

EASE OF MAINTENANCE

Issues with Public Art

MISUSE

MAINTENANCE
VANDALISM

Comparative study Statues of Roorkee

Comparative study Statues of Roorkee

Malviya Chowk

Difficulty of Public access

Not proportionate to area

Low Visibility

Ill Maintained

Obstruction to public movement

Comparative study Statues of Roorkee

Cawnpore Dwar Roundabout

Difficulty of Public access

Not proportionate to area

Low Visibility

Obstruction to traffic movement

Low Maintenance

Comparative study Statues of Roorkee

Near Century gate

Difficulty of Public access due to road

junction

Not proportionate to area

Low Visibility

Obstruction to public movement

Low Maintenance

Comparative study Statues of Roorkee

Statues on Canal
Embankment

Difficulty of Public
access

Obstructed open area

around the statues

Obstructed Visibility

No Maintenance

Obstruction to public
movement

Comparative study Statues of Roorkee

Statue of G.B. Pant, Near Anushruti IIT
Roorkee

Ease of Public access

Not Proportionate to Site

Obstructed
landscaping

Highly Maintained

No obstruction to public movement

Visibility

due

to

Inferences
While creating or installing any public art
project, one must bear in mind that:
-

It should be clearly visible & legible

It should be easily accessible

It
should
be
created
keeping
consideration the setting & context.

It should be able to portray the ideas &

themes of the community that are nonoffensive in any manner to anyone.

It should not hamper the movement of

people in the public space where it is
installed.

Maintenance of the public art

into

References

Senie, H & Webster, S 2004, Critical Issues in Public art- Content, Context and Controversy,
Chapter 22: Temporality and Public art pp. 295-312 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Mccarthy, John 2006, Regeneration of Cultural Quarters: Public

Art for Place Image or Place Identity?, Journal of Urban Design, 11:2, 243-262

Nick Schuermans , Maarten P.J. Loopmans & Joke Vandenabeele (2012) Public space, public art
and public pedagogy, Social & Cultural Geography, 13:7, 675-682, DOI:
10.1080/14649365.2012.728007

http://sahapedia.org/political-endeavours-the-emergence-of-installation-art-in-india/, viewed
on October 08, 2015

http://mashable.com/2015/10/06/12-street-artists-transforming-indiancities/#sPdWpnmFVqqs , viewed on October 08, 2015

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14649365.2012.728007, viewed on October 15,

2015

http://associationforpublicart.org/public-art-gateway/what-is-public-art/, viewed on October

26, 2015