Habitat, Community & Environment
The title of this new series of books is 'New Thinking in Public Art'. Well, not only do the books (published by thinktank ixia) suggest some powerful new ways for art to work in public spaces, but it also represents new thinking in how to publish essentially academic works, too.
The series consists of three titles; Community, Habitat, and Environment. Each book combines creative content from artists working in the field with an essay. On the whole, the balance between art and essay is good.
With its unusual layout and design, the Community book is almost a sketchbook filled by Public Works, an art and architecture collective. It shows how they worked in Kensington Gardens, London on a series of interventions. These included a series of explorations of the space with park staff, leading to the production of various saleable goods from the park's resources, sold from a contemporary market stall which roamed the park.
It's an inspiring read, and the accompanying essay by Doina Petrescu is well-written and complements the practice of Public Works. The essay covers definitions of public space, and how the public can use these spaces.
The second book, Habitat, isn't as strong. The artist Richard Woods, known for his wrapping the exteriors of buildings in colourful (almost cartoon-like) skins, contributes his first book work titled 'As Big As A House'. It's like a series of swatches of the patterns he has used, interwoven with photos and postcards of fake tudor buildings from around the UK. Richard's first book work is insightful, delightful and the accompanying interview with the artist is informative. So far, so good.
The let-down is in the accompanying essay, written by Sarah Chaplin and Eric Holding. It reads like a third-rate student piece, full of oversized words, badly-used references and lacking in any style. It's critically flawed, taking a most superficial reading of Richard Woods work as its starting point. It certainly won't win any plain English campaign prizes and may just make it into Private Eye's 'Pseuds Corner'.
The final title, Environment, makes up for it by being an absolute cracker. The balance has swung the other way in this title, though - it's Paul Chatterton's essay 'Retrofitting The Corporate City; Five Principles For Urban Survival' which is the strongest half.
There's nothing wrong with the proposal by Lucy Orta and Jorge Orta for a series of mass sit-down meals, with tables stretching from Tate Modern to St Paul's Cathedral. It's a fantastic idea, and the Blue Sky picnic, with meals served on the rooftops of London's office blocks, is even better.
But Chatterton's call to arms is a great, triumphant ending to the three books. Chatterton tackles the problems facing anyone working with public art head on in the first part of his essay; cities are in a straightjacket, tied up with profit, gentrification and minimising risk.
The solution? Making democracy really participatory; working collectively and managing ourselves; putting solidarity and mutual aid into practice; really taking responsibility and taking sustainability seriously.
Overall 'New Thinking In Public Art' should be considered essential reading anyone working in public art or with the public realm. And if, having read the series, artists and planners adopt Paul Chatterton's set of principles, maybe the actions of Public Works would become everyday, Richard Woods' sense of fun would become commonplace and maybe the Orta's would get to lead their mass meals.