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Facebook A-Go-Go

by Ruth Barker, 8 Jul 2011

Hello,

Yes! We are now proudly on Facebook. You can check us out here and we’re really trying to spread the word, so please give us a Like, or write us a comment, or do whatever it is you do on Facebook to say Hello.

We’re going to use this as a way to show just how many great events and projects there are going on, and we’ll be happy to add your project’s images to our page.

Gosh, how exciting. Please come and visit!

Oh yes – a friend emailed this link to me today. Comments, as always, more than welcome…

More later,
R.

Comments

  1. 9 Jul 2011

    ginny hutchison

    Horses heids..

    While I applaud consideration given to art in the public realm it is the very act of thought, and conversation, that is important.

    The feeling of the article is that this is a done deal – that the airport managers are keen to adopt a design that has already been approved or championed elsewhere and therefore carries minimum risk and administration.

    However the article is conflicting, on one hand it suggests that the replica’s, (and I am interested in what circumstances the originals are being created / sited), are to be installed in August and if not permanently installed then what processes are in place to assess, fund and manage the project?

    Is it a fate-a-complis in that once they’re there, it is will be very hard to remove them? (It is interesting how not now, can very quickly become never). And what are the policies that surround the site…is it public or is it private? If the sculptures are in public view, who is then responsible for making decisions about the work? Is the standard planning process enough, or should the airport be responsible for engaging in a visible and informed public dialogue?

    On the other hand, the article goes on to say that the airport is in the process of identifying what’s appropriate for the site, and that they have been talking with people and trying to gauge what the public would respond to. The sculptures will apparently only be on site for a month, and after that by a permanent siting in 2012.

    I have been told that this is a process that has been adopted by some states in the US, in which public art can be installed for a minimum period of time, for arguments sake five years, at which point the local community can then make a decision about the work and whether they want to retain it.

    I am not entirely convinced on the democracy of this idea, as it seems to be a little like enforced knowledge, and once something is familiar it is certainly more appealing than the unfamiliar.

    The endnote is perhaps the most pertinent to the article, "We want something unique for Edinburgh”. Who then gets to decide on this gateway identity, who is the voice for Edinburgh, and if the sculptures are a replica designed for another place and time what does this say about Scottish identity and our approach to public art? Given the quality and diversity of artists practicing in Scotland is it acceptable to limit the potential of these (public) endeavors to a few artists or a few works of art, and if the sculptures are indeed to be temporary, is this in itself enough of a consultation process and where and how will this be assessed?

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