Research Symposium: The Uses of Art in Public Space

A free public research symposium.

Hosted by RMIT University’s Design Research Institute, convened by Quentin Stevens

Tuesday 12 March 2013, 9am – 5pm

Design Hub (RMIT Building 100)
Corner Victoria and Swanston Street
Carlton VIC 3053
(RMIT University, Melbourne city campus map)

Since public art’s emergence as a distinct form of art practice in the late 1960s, the subsequent explosion in its varieties of medium, form and location has prompted multi-disciplinary research into its conception, production and reception. Most existing research into public art has focused on the aesthetic, cultural and political intentions and processes that shape its production. What remains relatively under-studied is how various kinds of public art are actually received by the public, and the material landscape within which that reception occurs. There is too little empirical analysis of artworks’ actual ‘use’, which may not be discursive, and which may not be as the artist or sponsor intended. This symposium examines public artworks from the perspective of their everyday use. We take public art in a broad sense to include commissioned and unofficial artworks, memorials, street art, advertising, and street furniture.

Presentations by:

• Jane Rendell University College London, UK
• Christopher Rawlinson and Mirko Guaralda Queensland University of Technology
• Mat de Koning and Tim Yuen Skate Sculpture, WA
• Anton Hasell Artist
• Karen A. Franck New Jersey Institute of Technology, USA
• Quentin Stevens RMIT University
• Shanti Sumartojo Australian National University
• Julia Lossau University of Bremen, Germany
• Kate MacNeill University of Melbourne
• Lachlan MacDowall Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne

plus closing panel discussion.

Attendance is free, but all attendees must register in advance by emailing Quentin.Stevens@rmit.edu.au
No later than Monday 25 February with the subject line ATTEND SYMPOSIUM.
Further programme particulars will follow.

This symposium is generously supported by the following:
Australian Research Council
RMIT Design Research Institute
RMIT Foundation International Research Exchange Fellowship