Conference: Art in the Public Imagination

29 February 2008

Art In the Public Imagination was a half-day conference which took place at the National Gallery. The conference focused on the Fourth Plinth initiative as a means of examining broader issues around the subject of art in the public realm. An engaging series of presentations, a panel discussion, and display of art work from individuals involved in the Fourth Plinth Community Programme set the scene for a lively and sometimes provocative debate. Using the new proposals as a starting point, delegates discussed questions such as should the public have a role in the selection and conception of realized artworks? How can public spaces be improved to function as sites for people to enjoy art and express themselves? And what kinds of art do people want to see in their own communities?

Sandy Nairne, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, chaired the proceedings which included contributions by:

• Justine Simons, Head of Cultural Strategy at the Mayor of London’s Office
• Colin Wiggins, Head of Education at the National Gallery
• Fidelma O’Neill, Fourth Plinth Education & Outreach specialist
• Sarah Wang, Fourth Plinth Programme Manager (who represented the Fourth Plinth Community Programme including the Education Awards)

and four of the six artists shortlisted for the next Fourth Plinth commission:

• Jeremy Deller
• Antony Gormley
• Yinka Shonibare
• Bob and Roberta Smith.

The writer and broadcaster Louisa Buck quizzed the artists about their proposals and they were further cross-examined by young people from The Architecture Crew, an initiative based in Newham which explores issues of regeneration around the Olympic Park development. Members of this group produced one of the conference highlights; a vibrant short film about art in the public realm, that was created with the assistance of the media education company Raw Material. Other memorable contributions came from El Mahjoub Aggabi and Maureen Hayes who talked movingly about the inspiration behind the artworks they had developed during work-shops run by the Sundial Link Age Plus Art Group in Tower Hamlets.

Ever since Mark Wallinger’s first remarkable commission (Ecce Home, 1999) the Fourth Plinth project has captured the public imagination and inspired real curiosity about the value and meaning of art in the public realm. This conference built on and extended that success; in just a few hours we heard from an outstanding range of people, from those who are directly responsible for the outcomes of art in the public arena, to those who rarely have a say in this context. The sheer variety of perspectives offered and the conversations which ensued made for an entertaining, thought-provoking and inspiring morning.