Culture in public spaces

Have you seen any performances and pieces of art on London's public spaces?

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London’s public spaces welcome many performances and pieces of art throughout the year, including the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, Lumiere London and other artworks in public spaces, transport and parks.

Have you seen any? What are your favourites? What would you like to see more of, or less of?

The discussion ran from 23 March 2018 - 23 June 2018

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Comments (75)

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Thanks everyone!

Other hubs include the Royal Docks and London Riverside. Have you been to these places? Or elsewhere? What did you like or disklike about these places?

Talk London

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It would be good to see some pursuits traditionally native to the British Isles, like Morris dancing, Scottish dancing, Maypole dancing, Irish dancing. Many groups operate in the capital but no one seems to know about them

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It would be good to see some pursuits traditionally native to the British Isles, like Morris dancing, Scottish dancing, Maypole dancing, Irish dancing. Many groups operate in the capital but no one seems to know about them

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Avatar for - Amur leopard

Would like to see art and sculpture pop up in green parks and spaces in the suburbs.

To include people old and young who don’t necessarily appreciate it or travel for culture.

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Would like to see art and sculpture pop up in green parks and spaces in the suburbs.

To include people old and young who don’t necessarily appreciate it or travel for culture.

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Some of the pop up sculpture is very good, but a lot is awful dross.

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Some of the pop up sculpture is very good, but a lot is awful dross.

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Loved the free bands at Flat Iron Square at the end of last Summer.

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Loved the free bands at Flat Iron Square at the end of last Summer.

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Especially SkaVengers.

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Especially SkaVengers.

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Yes I support the current provision and the expansion of visual and performance art in public spaces.  Parks should not be closed and charges should not be raised for these events.  Please can we have some of these initiatives in the...

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Yes I support the current provision and the expansion of visual and performance art in public spaces.  Parks should not be closed and charges should not be raised for these events.  Please can we have some of these initiatives in the poorest areas of South East London eg. New Cross and Deptford (not Telegraph Hill) , Old Kent Road (eg. Burgess Park)?  In our errors people are treated with contempt and eg searched before they can go into any open air event and there will be very loud music, no alcohol etc.  We need a better standard of art and performance art and for local people to be treated like adults as deserving as anyone else in London.

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I particularly enjoy reading poems in the underground. Taking the underground, travelling from A to B is a necessity rather than an enjoyment so my journey is usually quite dry and dull. A few years ago, when I was in the underground I...

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I particularly enjoy reading poems in the underground. Taking the underground, travelling from A to B is a necessity rather than an enjoyment so my journey is usually quite dry and dull. A few years ago, when I was in the underground I noticed a poster of Poems in the Underground. While the train rattled along on its normal route, I read the poem and the poem was like a breath of fresh air in the underground’s stiffening air and suddenly I felt more enlivened when I stepped off the train.

How about a project of History by Underground to introduce some history about the places that the train passes under the ground. It would be a nice introduction to London for British and tourists alike. Anything other than adverts is always refreshing!

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There's no shortage of free cultural things to do in Central London, we have some of the most rated galleries and museums in the world with free entrance, then there's things such as the Lumiere festival and the Lord Mayor's parade. This is...

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There's no shortage of free cultural things to do in Central London, we have some of the most rated galleries and museums in the world with free entrance, then there's things such as the Lumiere festival and the Lord Mayor's parade. This is all on the doorstep of a predominantly wealthy population.  The further you go from Central London the less there is to do for free and what is free tends to have less public/private money invested in it.  Perhaps this matter could be addressed without gentrifying the local population out  e.g. the Olympic Games.

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I agree that the last thing we need is praise of graffiti. It saddens me to see trains with graffiti sprayed on to them. Who do these idiots think will have to pay fo it to be cleaned up? It encourages crime in an area and pulls it down...

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I agree that the last thing we need is praise of graffiti. It saddens me to see trains with graffiti sprayed on to them. Who do these idiots think will have to pay fo it to be cleaned up? It encourages crime in an area and pulls it down. Stupid idiots are also scratching train windows again. I though we had grown up and stopped doing that again. Perhaps those caught should be 'named and shamed'. It seemed to work last time. 

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Pieces of art: they make such a difference to the streetscape. It's such fun to turn a corner and come across something unexpected. More walkways created from disused railway lines: the Peckham Coal Way could be a model. Lumiere London: fab...

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Pieces of art: they make such a difference to the streetscape. It's such fun to turn a corner and come across something unexpected. More walkways created from disused railway lines: the Peckham Coal Way could be a model. Lumiere London: fab! fab! fab! was invited to take part and it was just brill. And then walked round the trail afterwards: stunning.

I support those who have commented on the non-commercialisation of public spaces such as Brockwell Park in South Lambeth. It is outrageous that the public purse pays for the park and then neither the park nor the public derive any benefit from the paying events that take place there, AND which require that the park be closed off to the public.

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Avatar for - Sumatran elephant

I would like to see more concerts and plays in parks - free of charge

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I would like to see more concerts and plays in parks - free of charge

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The fourth plinth at TSq is great - especially what is there now. But, negatively, a lot (most) of the 'perfromance' art in front of the national gallery is shameful. It also acts as a magnet to some shady characters - without being too...

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The fourth plinth at TSq is great - especially what is there now. But, negatively, a lot (most) of the 'perfromance' art in front of the national gallery is shameful. It also acts as a magnet to some shady characters - without being too disparaging. That area needs more regulation, in the way buskers are on the underground at least, or like at Covent Garden, and a bit more policing maybe?

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Leave people free - no policing of individual expressions of art.

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Leave people free - no policing of individual expressions of art.

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You cannot just leave people free - they infringe on other people's freedoms. UK is a relatively small and too over crowded island to just have unrestricted freedom to damage other people.

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You cannot just leave people free - they infringe on other people's freedoms. UK is a relatively small and too over crowded island to just have unrestricted freedom to damage other people.

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I would like to see more official spaces for work that tells the stories of working class people in London. For example, there is some graffitti in Croydon which details the lyrics Stormzy used in his performance at this year's Brit Awards...

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I would like to see more official spaces for work that tells the stories of working class people in London. For example, there is some graffitti in Croydon which details the lyrics Stormzy used in his performance at this year's Brit Awards. I would love to see further displays/exhibitions of the history of South and East Asian diaspora in London - a space similar to the Black Cultural Achives in Brixton.

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I studied sculpture at St Martins under the late Sir Anthony Caro, but somehow I don't think abstract metal sculptures like his work in public places, being sharp, needing repainting etc.and not being widely intelligible even if in some...

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I studied sculpture at St Martins under the late Sir Anthony Caro, but somehow I don't think abstract metal sculptures like his work in public places, being sharp, needing repainting etc.and not being widely intelligible even if in some senses 'good'. The Philip King sculpture at Fulham is an example. The large Henry Moore bronzes are less sharp and don't need re-painting, but I think also are not very intelligible - the 'knife Edge on the Green opposite the Victoria Tower of the Houses of Parliament is an example, or the knuckle-like pieces in front of Kings Cross (which visually gets confused with all the security bollards), or the one on the Thames river front between Vauxhall Bridge and Tate Britain. What on the other hand is awful is the plethora of bronze banal waxwork-like images of public figures that are constantly being proposed or unveiled,  e.g. in Parliament Square and St Pancras Station, where there are far too many of them, of no artistic merit or interest. A previous comment has been left praising Paolozzi's mosaic murals at Tottenham Court Road and his figure in front of the British Library, and I agree. They have interest, artistic merit and comprehensibility, and do not look as though they require constant maintenance.

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Public spaces should not have sections gated off for expensive ticketed events. Green spaces should not be used for events at all, as we are desperately short of peaceful (visually and aurally) green spaces for relaxation, of huge value for...

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Public spaces should not have sections gated off for expensive ticketed events. Green spaces should not be used for events at all, as we are desperately short of peaceful (visually and aurally) green spaces for relaxation, of huge value for health. 

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Avatar for - Monarch butterfly

Lumiere is great !  I would like to see more of  event organisers / facilitators from the so under-represented ethic minority especially we are in London.  Inclusiveness should be mandoraty any project briefs... ! 

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Lumiere is great !  I would like to see more of  event organisers / facilitators from the so under-represented ethic minority especially we are in London.  Inclusiveness should be mandoraty any project briefs... ! 

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Thanks everyone for sharing your views and your favourites in London.

London's transport network, particularly the London Underground, is home to many works of art and live performances. How do you feel about these? Would you like to see different types of activity?

Tell us more!

Talk London

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The underground is an ideal venue for these.

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The underground is an ideal venue for these.

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 In general I like what I see around London in terms of arts and culture, the sculpture, art and music have broad appeal.

 There are two things I would like to change, firstly the tricycle rickshaw taxis emitting loud music  and street...

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 In general I like what I see around London in terms of arts and culture, the sculpture, art and music have broad appeal.

 There are two things I would like to change, firstly the tricycle rickshaw taxis emitting loud music  and street musicians playing heavily amplified music in various locations including Oxford Street and Knightsbridge. 

 London is a busy city and by its very nature noisy, this uncontrolled/unregulated music is not a welcome addition for me.

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Totally agree with this.

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Totally agree with this.

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I like the fact that individuals have the freedom to do this.  It’s fine in a busy area like Oxford Street.  Love the rickshaws and their music.

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I like the fact that individuals have the freedom to do this.  It’s fine in a busy area like Oxford Street.  Love the rickshaws and their music.

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I would like to see a lot more industrial heritage information on the Southbank on the Zbayyersea Syde from Vauxhall to Wandsworth Bridge?

With all the luxury residential regeneration of this former industrial/railway/market gardening...

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I would like to see a lot more industrial heritage information on the Southbank on the Zbayyersea Syde from Vauxhall to Wandsworth Bridge?

With all the luxury residential regeneration of this former industrial/railway/market gardening working class neighbourhood the history and heritage which has been obliterated and we need heritage information panels and apps about the area. The Battersea Society has been trying to get such a project going with Wandsworth Council and landowners. 

There was an amazing socialist and suffragette Charlotte Despard 1844-1939 who was an Anglo - Irish woman who came to live and provide welfare facilities in Nine Elms and her Despard Club at 2 Currie Street was on the site of the US Embassy. A plaque was unveiled in 1922 by Battersea Council when she bequeathed it to continue the social and welfare work she had begun. There is a campaign to hav a statue of her in the iconic raised fist pose in the area.

Also a Clharlotte Despard birthday event on Friday 15th June outside the Embassy on Nine Elms/Ponton Road at 6pm when we plan to gave a group photo I of participants wearing Votes for Women sashes, Hilaire will read her poem 'What has Mrs Despard ever done for us?  and there will be a head cake by local artist of Charlotte head cake. All invited for further info email [email protected]

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Oops, gremlins should read on the Battersea side

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Oops, gremlins should read on the Battersea side

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The statue behind looks like the freedom! In front of the gallery! Very impressive! See u soon!☺

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The statue behind looks like the freedom! In front of the gallery! Very impressive! See u soon!☺

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I love random events that invite people to linger. It was excellent during the Wimbledon when Kings Cross set up a free massive screen with some seating for people to enjoy the tennis on their lunch breaks. Doesn't need to be anything fancy...

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I love random events that invite people to linger. It was excellent during the Wimbledon when Kings Cross set up a free massive screen with some seating for people to enjoy the tennis on their lunch breaks. Doesn't need to be anything fancy but it should be free and accessible.

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