Unlike museum artworks, which are confined to the walls of their gallery spaces, public art is designed to be seen in the open. This makes it an ideal medium for expressing socially conscious themes. As a result, artists have long used public sculpture to get their messages across.
Often, these projects have no definitive ending. Their purpose is to engage the community and elicit a reaction that may be positive or negative. Whether it’s Gordon Matta-Clark’s 1975 Pier 52 shed or more recently Heather Phillipson’s Really Good, a giant swirl of whipped cream topped with a fly, butterfly and drone, these pieces are meant to spark conversation and reflect the contemporary cultural landscape.
In addition to provoking a dialogue, some public art is intended to encourage direct hands-on interaction. This includes musical, light and water components that allow people to shape and interact with the work. For example, Yinka Ilori’s colorful crosswalks in London are inspired by traditional Nigerian textiles and stories, and help to inject a sense of energy into the city’s urban landscape. Other works such as the architectural centerpiece in front of the Ontario Science Centre, a fountain and musical instrument (hydraulophone) by Steve Mann, allow visitors to block water jets and create different sounds as a way to shape and interact with the piece.
While many public art projects aim to beautify and leave their mark, others want to change the way we think about a place or community. By creating a piece that moves around a pre-existing tree in New York’s Brooklyn Bridge Park, artist Siah Armajani sought to remind us of our connection to the natural world. Similarly, American artist Jim Pallas created an outdoor mandala of lights that reacted to the sounds and movements of passersby in Detroit, Michigan, 25 years ago.
Even if an artwork isn’t immediately embraced by the public, it can have lasting impacts. For example, studies show that the average museum visitor spends 30 seconds in front of a painting. But in a busy high-traffic area, such as Roy Lichtenstein’s Modern Head on the University of New Mexico campus, people see it several times a day and will experience it in changing conditions like rain, snow and sunshine.
However, the most significant impact of a public artwork can be found in its legacy. For example, a student might be inspired to study the murals on UNM’s west wing of Zimmerman Library and go into a career in public art because of the exposure to these historic and often political works. This is a legacy that the artist can’t always control, but can influence by how the project is handled from conception to completion.