Public Art/Design and Placemaking
Abstract
Public art has become part of the rhetoric of regeneration, and it is playing a very significant role in various communities. Through its aesthetic and process, public art is seen as integral to placemaking within the regeneration practices and the distinctiveness to reformed places. Based on the example of the Mastaba in London, this paper questions the role of public participation in installing public art and impacting on art culture in London. It is just part of the significant artwork done by the artist in London. There are many sculptures, collages, drawings, and photographs as part of artwork representing the different cultures. Most of these arts are over 60 years, and they still exist and attract many people since they are a reflection of various cultures. Christo drew his idea of building the Mastaba from the barrel artworks. His art will remain to be an unprecedented opportunity for many visitors to experience his work as one of the pioneer artists. The artists and designers like Christo play a very critical role in developing artwork and placemaking. The role of the earlier artists has impacted various art designs leading to modern designs like the one used in the Mastaba.
Introduction
Public art is any piece of work done by an artist or group of artists with the
the intention of being presented to the eyes of the public. Mostly, this occurs in the outer environment to be seen by everyone. To many in the art universe, public art is of real importance as it involves the interaction of the community and the piece of art in ways beyond imagination. As opposed to the previous year’s where public art would take the form of bronze soldiers on army horses, public art now makes a variety of looks and sizes, from sculptures, digital works, architectural efforts, permanent or temporary. It may even be in the form of festivals and acting or even making places for the public. Public art is usually judged by the interaction it has with the community around it. It may be made to bring up new ideas to the public or leave it to the city to conclude what it sees as plausible. In recent years, public art has undergone a lot of dynamism, with artists pushing their work to the limits to engage the public and make them question their place in society (Crawshaw, 2015). Public art is always termed as location-specific as it is done to relate to the people where it will be situated. It is meant to understand the historical connection a place has with the community. Art can also be used to make places where people visit to see its beauty like the Mastaba, a type of ancient Egyptian tomb in the form of a flat-roofed, rectangular structure with inward sloping sides, constructed out of mudbricks. At the same time, it may be made together with the people from the area to enable it to reflect their beliefs, culture, and ambitions. This report aims at discussing how public art (The Mastaba) affects the art culture in London. Every one around can access it, making them embrace whatever it is that is being put across. Its photos may be taken and shared across all occupations. People develop a heightened sense of identity of what their community is all about, not taking away any fun while doing it, and creating adorable memories.
Literature Review
Public art plays a critical role in the art culture in London, where many people have now embraced the artwork. The interactive art has positively impacted on people who pass by the artwork. They enjoy moving closer to the Mastaba and experience its beauty when near. The artwork encourages artistic people to fund artworks to make their city a beautiful place. Due to the excellent artwork done by various artists, many artistic people have come out to offer financial and psychological support to the current artists to make their place look excellent and attractive (Crawshaw, 2015). The artwork is a significant art piece that attracts tourists. These artworks generate a lot of revenue for the local county government through tourism. It also made the people from around to have a sense of belonging and enhanced cohesion among them. The highly inspirational work by renowned artist Christo, The Matsaba,2018, is one of the most inspiring art in London (Vaizey, 2018). Through this research, I will be looking at the history behind this artwork and the time when it was established as well as the creation of the artwork in Hyde Park. Therefore, the importance of the Matsaba in London and the inspiration behind it.
The Matsaba is a floating artwork on the famous Hyde park serpentine lake in London. The artwork was established on 18th June 2018, and it profoundly captured the world’s imagination during the summer season. The artist Christo started his art career by collecting tin cans that had many purposes, such as for painting (Fabbrizzi, 2018). He was using his funds until he completed the artwork of building the Matsaba. He started taking pictures of them by adding cloth, and some didn’t have fabric wrapped around them, and it had blown the viewers and many people. He started stacking up barrels on top of each other, which created the Matsaba and had given him the idea to start the artwork. He wanted the lake to like to his artwork as the Matsaba is made out of barrels he wanted to have a link with the history of barrels that were used to build walls and also transport things during world war (Huang & Roberts, 2019). The artist chose the proportions of colors to match the weather and the season in London. During summer tourists get to spend a lot of time in Hyde park because of the weather and the lake activities held there. Since the Matsaba is a floating art piece, people tend to participate in water cycling, and they come across the artwork. This art is an excellent example of placemaking, and many people visit the place during the summer season, and many people are attracted by this art (Mansilla & Perkis, (2016). There is excellent human interaction with the Matsaba since it is floating on the lake. Therefore people like participating in many activities during the summer season, and the lake also provides pedal boats to help the people roam around the lake. The people will, therefore, tend to get closer to the Matsaba to analyze it and also treat it like a masterpiece.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the debate over the actual benefit and value of public art and placemaking will always be present whether public art is still able to have an artistic worth similar to the art that resides in galleries and, at the same time, provide financial and social gains. This is evident in the Matsaba art in London that attracts many people due to its beautiful design. The changing designs in artwork and placemaking are reviving the artwork today, and this makes people have a positive attitude and help in funding the various artwork. What public art has undergone over the years is being put down by the right weight of over-the-roof expectations. It is significant in our communities as it keeps our culture, promotes cohesion and togetherness, helps in the development of upcoming artists and Promotion of Public Awareness in sensitive issues. Therefore, there is a great need to embrace public art and placemaking in the community as it brings a better image.
References
Crawshaw, J. (2015). Working together: Tracing the making of public art as part of regeneration practice. Anthropological Journal of European Cultures, 24(2), 76-96.
Fabbrizzi, F. (2018). Christo e Jeanne-Claude-Come un’architettura-The London Mastaba. Firenze Architettura, 22(2), 36-43.
Huang, S. M., & Roberts, J. L. (2019). Place‐Making. The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Urban and Regional Studies, 1-5.
Mansilla, W. A., & Perkis, A. (2016, October). Technology & Art in Stimulating Creative Placemaking in Public-Use Spaces. In Proceedings of the 24th ACM international conference on Multimedia (pp. 1473-1474).
Vaizey, M. (2018). Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The London Mastaba.