Culture in public spaces

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

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.

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

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.

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!

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. 

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.

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

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.

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.

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. 

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... ! 

 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.