Public art has accompanied humans all along recorded history. The first pieces may be the cave paintings of Lascaux.
Some contemporary public art is commercial whereas another portion is produced on a voluntary basis by professional artists and amateurs alike. Public art can be authorised and financed by the government or private patrons or executed without permission and even against rules around private property.
Some public art is site-specific: it is created for a particular place and has a significant connection to its location. Other works are created in an artist’s studio and then transported to a site to which they relate only in a very general way, if at all.
Besides traditional forms such as sculptures, memorials, and murals, the notion of public art has expanded to include performances, installations, earthworks, light and sound projections, graffiti, and even flash mobs. The newest arrival is digital art, in the form of mixed or augmented reality.
The purpose of public art
Public art serves a variety of purposes in urban space. In some cases, its main function is to forge national pride or to glorify rulers and regimes. For example, the Statue of Liberty is an austere and dignified abstraction of the idea of American “nationhood”. In Europe, royal statues are often equestrian, or the king is shown sitting on a throne. Most are placed on tall pedestals.
Inducing religious observance has been another raison d’être for public art. In Catholic Southern Europe and Latin America, statues and paintings of saints placed in exterior wall niches are a frequent sight. So are statues of Hindu gods in the Indian subcontinent, or Buddha statues in East and Southeast Asia. And tribal African public sculpture is often religious or spiritual in nature.
Sometimes, once a regime – or a particular set of ideas, political or religious – falls from grace, so do its monuments. Iconoclasm is common. Think of socialist realism art in Eastern Europe or confederate statues in the American South. Or the Taliban destruction of Buddhist iconography in Afghanistan.
In other cases, public art celebrates local communities or elevates local nature rather than rulers.
Sculptures of animals and plants – kangaroos, koalas, goannas, paw paws – are very common in Australian cities, given the continent’s unique flora and fauna. In some cases, such as The Kelpies in Scotland, public art pieces depicting animals seek to highlight the latter’s role in the local economy and culture.
The role of public art in supporting urban functions
More recently, cities have come to recognise the role of public art in educating and enlightening citizens or supporting urban functions – such as with bus stops.
For example, murals or modest statues created by locals in ghettos and slums are educational by virtue of bringing art to marginalised communities that cannot afford trips to fine art galleries and museums.
This type of public art often emphasises process over product. A piece may be created collaboratively by teams that include both professionals and non-professionals.
Economic revitalisation and gentrification
Now cities also employ public art as a tool of place branding and economic revitalisation.
A “beautiful” city is expected to be more competitive in the global marketplace, draw investment, and host mega-events such as the Olympic Games. An obvious drawback of using public art and aesthetics for economic purposes is gentrification.
Urban spaces that are glamourised through public art may end up displacing impoverished individuals and activities – including artistic subcultures themselves.
Moreover, where corporations and other wealthy patrons play a major role in financing public art this is yet another way to privatise public space.
Critics point out that depoliticised and co-opted forms of public art do nothing to destabilise the status quo. In fact they can support capital in its quest to dominate cities.
Like all art, some public artworks are meant as protest or provocation whereas others are simply entertaining.
Spontaneous public engagement
Public art that mainly seeks to entertain often employs satire, humour, hyperbole, contrast, and an element of surprise.
When effective, it can bring joy to the cityscape and prompt spontaneous public engagement – even if that was not the original intent of the artist.
Static pieces that may have been designed as to be contemplated from a distance or, at most, provide a photo opportunity, can turn into a climbing opportunity for children and even adults.
In some cases, as with the Tilted Arc, the opposite occurs. The controversial public art installation by Richard Serra was removed after eight years as the result of a federal lawsuit and has never been publicly displayed since.
A key characteristic that unites all public art is that it is meant for a public audience as opposed to a private audience in a home, gallery, or museum.
It occupies areas such as plazas, streets, and parks that are normally used for other purposes such as shopping, socialising, and commuting.
Therefore, public art should be evaluated not only based on its aesthetic quality but also on its ability to improve and energise a site, prompt conversation or social awareness, and engage the public in some way.
From “look but don’t touch” to interactivity
In public art, as in museums, the paradigm is shifting from “look but don’t touch” toward interactive displays and creations that involve visitors.
The latter are invited to hear, feel, and even smell artworks instead of passively viewing, as in the past. An experiential aspect seems to provide a more enjoyable experience for the audience.
In some cases, the bodily responses of the public to art may be unanticipated by the artist but over time give meaning to the work.
What makes public art engaging?
I am an urban planner at The University of Queensland, where I conduct research on the design of cities. I am interested in all aspects of the built environment but have a soft spot for urban aesthetics.
A recent study in the Journal of Urban Design, co-authored by myself and award-winning planning student Caroline Milne at The University of Queensland, set out to uncover what makes public art engaging and interactive.
Is it the design? Is it the location? And are there differences in interaction throughout the day?
The researchers picked 11 public sculptures in the inner city and observed them for a total of 64 hours. After analysing the data, they found that it is primarily the design features of public art that encouraged or deterred visitors. This makes sense because design is steadfast and inherently linked to the artwork itself, whereas location and time are external factors.
The Brisbane Sign on Southbank was by far the most popular piece. While these kinds of signs are sometimes seen as a cliché in artist circles, they have the popular vote. This maybe because they offer tourists a chance to take a picture that places them in a particular city. Also, the Brisbane Sign is very climbable for children.
Policy frameworks for urban beautification
The findings of this study could be included in local policy frameworks for public art and urban beautification.
Cities may decide to commission more public artworks which:
- feature bright or eye-catching colours or materials
- have a medium scale
- offer pedestrians, especially children, the ability to interact and be playful
- represent a real or symbolic connection with the locality – while still embracing uniqueness, subjectivity, and creativity
Abstract sculptures, especially if rendered in dark metal, seem to attract less interest, although from an art critic’s or art historian’s perspective those may be quite valuable. Perhaps abstract art is beyond the purview of the average passer-by.
These broad recommendations should not lead to rigid agendas imposed on artists. The intention is simply to make cities more vibrant, joyous, and human.
Public involvement in the selection of specific artworks might be useful in activating public interest in public art programs.
Even public artwork briefs – which set parameters in terms of vision, time, and budget – can be negotiated beforehand among the artists, councils, and local communities, rather than compiled a priori by public art officials.
This process, in itself, can help express and develop culture in an area and integrate public art with the built environment.