DD3200 Art & Design Critical Writing – Research Proposal
Content Page:
Introduction
Chapter 1: Genealogy of Site-Specific Work
Chapter 2: From Site to Public Space with Public Engagement
Chapter 3: Analysing New Hybrid Public Art
Chapter 4: Cases of Site-Specific Public Art
Conclusion
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Introduction
New terms have emerged in this recent years. Work of art begun to move out from gallery or museum to our urban landscapes or nature sites. Site-specific art practices started off in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In this essay will case study a number of public artworks in an attempt to uncover the differences in methodologies and intentions between artistic and design-orientated approaches towards addressing site and audience. In particular, it will explore key texts by Rosalind Krauss’s discussing on the development of sculptural works on a specific site, Nicolas Bourriaud’s on Relational Aesthetics Art and Miwon Kwon’s notes on site-specificity. Analysing the works of Phunk Studio, Acconci Studio, Richard Serra, Anthony Gormley and Rirkrit Tiravanija’s to question how they diverge from each other from art and design and through cross analysis, we then discuss on how in today’s context, public art is the domain of both artists and designers.
As a point of departure, the first chapter propose studies and works of site specificity since late 1960 to this current period has changed, the type of site specificity work like, land and environmental art Robert Smithson, ephemeral art by Andy Goldsworthy, public art by Freya Bardell and Brian Howe and monuments by Micha Ullman. Then unfold the purpose of having public are in our community and text by Nicolas Bourriaud on relational art. In the second chapter, examines the key concept site-specific public art and public engagements, understanding how we bridge the community with the art. How the boundaries are buried public art brings people together into a shared space. Studying Miwon Kwon who discussed the idea of site specificity and locational identity. The third chapter would be analysing new hybrid art in the context of design and art, with the Bauhaus which is a design movement that brought two disciplines closer. Getting to know how art and design diverge from each other and yet it is able to coexist together. In the last chapter, studying of public arts done by two designers and three artists and analysing it.
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Genealogy of Site-Specific Work
There are 4 different types of site-specific art, land and environment art, ephemeral art, public art and monuments. Site-specific works fall in-between sculptural which is art, and architectural which is design. It is distinguished by other artworks that are typically created in a studio with no particular special context in mind, the idea of taking art off the wall. It has both component of design and art which is searching for a place and serving its purpose, as its content and meaning of work is linked to its site.
Site-specific art is a modern term from the 1960s and 1970s. Ephemeral earth work that comprises Robert Smithson’s site-specific land and environment art the Spiral Jetty, 1969-1970, one of the people who started that whole movement of site specificity. The terminal basin is a sculpture that is rooted in the 20th century. By putting art outside the world becomes part of the process of nature, as he brings it outside of the confines of a home or museum. It is a work that is out of the commercial world, a work that could not be bought and sold. We all know that museums are places where we entrust works of art. We lock them away and conserve them to stop time from destroying them. Similarly to Andy Goldsworthy’s earthworks, using natural resources, the beauty from the natural environment to create work of art. Monument works, such as the Empty Library, the 1995 Berlin memorial by Micha Ullman, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, 1981 by Maya Lin. Lastly, public art is constantly searching and serving for people’s voices, thoughts, voices and actions, it holds both the purpose that art and design. For example, Freya Bardell and Brian Howe did a collaborative work in 2005 in the Los Angeles River, called River Livers. The projects took place over the weekends, workshops were held where community members come forward to help. It encourages community development in addition to cleaning the water.
Public art is in the category of site-specific art. Artist creating site-specific art is for the place and also serve a purpose. Public art challenge idea that is important enough to invest all the effort, energy and time to create a powerful ‘tool’ for the community.” The process is the reimagining and redefining what public art looks like and how it is impacting communities. Site Specificity works cares about the history of archaeology or architecture and the relationship to contemporary art.
Usually, there are an expectation and specific aspects of how to view a piece of art in the right composition. Like for example, the skills, techniques, colour palette, form, shapes but Nicolas Bourriaud view it differently. Bourriaud mentioned that our eyes should be the one who helps look and share, interact, and participate with one another. To Bourriaud, good art is all about the experience the work brings you. Hence his way of perceiving site-specific as relational aesthetic art.
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From Site to Public Space with Public Engagement
Public engagement allows people to come into the fold and have engagement with a community, a public, energising and connecting in public space. It buries the boundaries of art in novel ways and bridges the division between private and public, in the cell and out in the open. Public spaces are where we gather regardless of socioeconomic status, race, gender and discipline, public space is a shared space. Opening up potential and possibilities if creativity and communication in this common space. Public art share experiences what the artists and designers have created and public audiences get to experience what the work is. It develops a relationship to the physical world to communities and to people. However, some people label this type of art as plop art. Plop art is a derogatory term that critiques call, to talk about works that appear in our urban setting, usually be seen in large-scale, abstract and contemporary sculpture. Works that might have no relation to the site, it would adorn a sort of space of power in the city. Familiar plop works such as Tony Tasset ’s Eye, 2010 in Texas, Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate, 2006 in Illinois.
The art world is a giant corporation, artist is now branded, so now creative became commodified. A lot of corporation mention having to bring in creatives so that they are able to think differently but artist does not necessarily have to be creative and are not necessarily good at being commodified. Miwon Kwon discussed the idea of site specificity and locational identity. The concept of site specificity and the whole practice of art history and theory. The art world system is a market that myths are being produced by the art media, a new set of power, art management, more and more influential in becoming the primary site of art presentation. Public art challenged by new models of site specificity and changes the thoughts in institutions, organisations and the art market. Art historian, Rosalyn Deutsche label them as ‘urban aesthetic’ or ‘spatial cultural’ which combines ideas about art, architecture and urban design.
Development of sculptural works on specific site – Rosalind Krauss ……………
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Analysing New Hybrid Public Art
Bauhaus was one of the most definitive design movement of the modern age, reaching its peak between two world war. The word, Bauhaus, is translated from German, means house of construction or school of building. It was a new type of art school, training many art and design disciplines as they believed in variety. It also was able to unify art with craft while embracing new technology and advancement. To many, the school was an alternative way of life, it was all about innovation and inspiration. As Bauhaus thinkers believed that the world needs to be fundamentally re-thought. In 1923, Walter Gropius mentioned, “The Bauhaus strives to coordinate all creative effort, to achieve the unification of all training in art and design. The ultimate, if distant, goal of the Bauhaus is the collective work of art in which no barriers exist between the structural and the decorative arts.”
The purpose of art and design are to serve but they serve in different aspects. Art is about personal expression, how artist put themselves out there, their thoughts, experiences and perspectives. Art has its intrinsic and independent value. Art is on the subject of provocation, it makes us think, it challenges ideas, sparks controversy, spurs emotions and generates friction for better and/or worse. On the other hand, Design is about the use. Design is on the external and dependent values. It gives aiding purposes to the users, enabling them to complete task easier. Design us about serving a greater purpose to consumers. It is contextual as it depends on its environment in order to complete its function that is able to perform the external task with deep reflection and understanding of their audiences. Our eyes experience the world, we are looking at things that are designed. Designed with the fundamental elements of design and the elements are line, shape, value, space, size, texture and colour, similar to the concept of creating site-specific public art, a set of rules they have to have. Noguchi logic to his invention is “ the size and the shape of each element is entirely relative to all other element given space.”
Both designers and artists create visual compositions hence it would lead them into either more toward design or art, it could be vice-versa. When we incorporate both of these two disciplines, it will create some sort of hybrid work of art. For instance, if a room could be designed by an interior designer for people to live in for the proper purpose of living and a person could request the room to be covered with black paint and black furniture and it could be an art. “In Flusser’s late-twentieth-century reading, design indicates the site where art and technology meet to produce new forms of culture, and so the role that design plays is crucial to the vitality of the arts. The notion of simultaneity allows design artist to be able to do role-play, satisfy being both design and artist at their own time. ”
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Cases of Site Specific Public Art
Phunk Studio
Phunk Studio, Dreams In A Social Cosmic Odyssey, 2007
Reference to a Singapore based contemporary art & design collective group, named Phunk Studio, found in 1994, challenges the conventional notion of an artist and the commercial design studio, as they blurred the lines between experimenting with new approaches to visual expressions. Their expansive scope of projects spans art, design, publishing, fashion, music, film and interactive. One of Phunk’s work, located at Promenade station in Singapore, titled ‘Dreams In A Social Cosmic Odyssey’.The site-specific artwork cleverly plays with the skylight to illuminate the space with glowing reflections of the light dancing from the water droplets of life, creating a kaleidoscope of patterns on the station floors, walls and ceilings. It illustrates the interaction between people and society, day and night, sky and water. Phunk does incorporate both disciplines in their work of art or design.
Phunk Studio success came from the Public Art Trust (PAT) which was founded in 2014, the aim of the foundation was to promote and making public art appearing in Singapore’s urban setting possible. Singapore National Art Council (NAC) initiate the idea of broadening the potential of the more public art and also giving opportunities to young emerging artist.
Acconci Studio
The creation of Möbius Bench Series came in 3 different design pieces, installed at different sites, and in a different period of time. The bench does have it function as a place to sit on, however, participates body would be in an unusual posture in an awkward position. The funky ‘chair’ was designed that way to create a ‘Y’ figure from the participant's body.
Vito Acconci is the founder of Acconci Studio in 1988. Acconci was a poet then transformed himself into a performance and video artist, using his own body within space. He then moved on to installation and performative works which is where he created his best-known work, seedbed. He was diverse in his practice including sculpture, architectural design and landscape design. Eventually brought him to creating his own group, the Acconci Studio. Acconci Studio’s aspire to recreate the perspective of what design and architecture could be or become. Acconci creations enabled people to use what he what he has done and putting them in spaces with its unique form and scale. How people could use places that he was to change and to have an effect on society.
Richard Serra
Tilted Arc, created in 1981 and removed in 1989, located at Foley Federal Plaza in Manhattan, New York. The work was commissioned by Federal Plaza, commissioned entirely legitimately by a specialised art group. Serra’s works retain the critical function which is essential. It focuses on an active relationship between spaces. The Tilted Arc creates sound waves and echoes around the building and the light waves create beautiful reflection around the site. Yet, people thought the work disrupted their everyday life, the work stirred a lot of negative responses and they wanted it to be removed and eventually it got removed. Although he was given the permit to place the work there permanent by a public entity in the General Services Administration.
Serra voiced out, “In one, you sense the volume moving out like a giant flowerpot, or moving in like a giant lampshade. It's all about centralising the space in different ways. How people move in relation to space, that's essentially what I'm up to.” Then Michael Heizer mentioned at an interview to defend Serra, “as art becomes more business-like, with more money and more government commissions, artists will become more like businessmen,'' In the interview, numerous artists who dwell with public sculpture who are distinctly sociable voiced to defended Mr Serra's right for his art.
Antony Gormley
One & The Other, Gormley’s idea of designing a platform and make it happen with the help of his audiences in an open public space, without them, the work is nowhere or nothing. The open space of an open work that is about the democratisation of art. He chose a public space in the centre of London is to make his work available to the world at large. Making a new order or way of expressing our hopes and fears. To him personally, he defined it as a living monumental public art by the people and for the people.
Some critics argued that it was artistically shallow a little too populist and at times too boring. But some do understand that the work being commissioned and to put contemporary art and the ideas of artists in the 21st century in the contemporary culture. The work is there to invite people to be their own work of art and the art is a kind of collective, with 2400 participants, 24hours for 100days and each individual is doing something that meant something in particular to themselves. Handful amount of participants felt great to be part of it as the work was able to bring so many people together from different places, races, culture and ideas. The project both appealed and confused for those with more conservative character and understanding of participatory public art. Many felt it was an amazing performative piece as it drew lots of attention and engaged with people
Rirkrit Tiravanija
The title of his work is Untitled: the infinite dimensions of smallness, 2018, Singapore. The site-specific work was constructed into a maze with bamboo. Within the maze, audiences will encounter each other and they are then welcome to participate in a tea ceremony by international tea masters.
Tiravanija has a great interest in cross-disciplinary and collaborative art practice. His works have relations with time and space, the relation between human and also the relation between environment we are living in. He focuses on the life around the object, human conditions and engagements, the activity to bring people together in a space. He uses lots of architecture as what he perceives in his mind is that architecture is like a frame, a frame that things happen and a place we live in. “Don't ask for the meaning; ask for the use.” by Ludwig Wittgenstein. Tiravanija believes through usage, his audiences or even himself would eventually find the meaning. The understanding of how the tools are there for you to use.
Analysis
Both Phunk Studio and Acconci Studio diverge from each other as of who they are when they started off. But come to a common ground at some point in time of their creation which was site-specific public art. Phunk studio is known for their design-oriented based works, despite that, they were commissioned by the local council to showcase their only site-specific work. Site-specific works do not need to have a style, artist or designers do not have to input their previous works elements in it. That way, it enables the works they are going to create in that space would be unique and new as different environment gives off the different atmosphere. Designers have incorporated the aspect of contemporary art in their design practice and make their work aesthetically pleasing as it reflects back to who they are, not as an artist but as a design, who designs well and presents it well. However, in the end, the work would be seen a public ‘Art’, not public design.
As compared to the 3 other artist, …………..
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Conclusion
The new categories to emerge but why did people agree or disagree there are such categories. How art these days are often very unwieldy in scale unruly and unstable or very fleeting in its materiality, ambiguous and its definition or identity dependent upon an indeterminate and changing contingency. Questioning the artwork beyond the moment of its initial creations or its public presentation. Site-specific art creates bonds better two or more disciplines, examples like sound art that requires musician and artist or land art require architecture designer and artist.
Therefore, the purpose of this essay is to look at the phenomenon in which the domain of public art is no longer strictly to the artist but also to another kind of creative disciplines and practitioners can come into. Personally, I feel that public space is a place of recreation. There really should be so many boundaries. Artist can be inspired by designer, the designer can also be inspired by artists. Narrow way of thinking to fix what we always do, if we only think on one line, something is lost. However not fixing on a track, broader perspective, no boundaries and restrictions, allows us to meet different people. Innovations in one field often arise out of insights gained in another field.