‘The Art of Dwelling’ was a one-day conference exploring long-term approaches to public art & place.
In recent years the landscape of public art commissioning in the UK has undergone profound change. Linked to the regeneration of post-industrial places during the last decade, funding for public art has diminished as the effects of the recession and austerity politics have taken hold. Meanwhile, in response to what many perceive as the widespread instrumentalisation of art within urban policy, artists and curators have begun to develop new methods of producing and articulating the value of public art, which are predicated on collaboration, critical reflection, intervention and the development of long-term relationships with a place.
The Art of Dwelling examined the role of public art within the post-regeneration age. Bringing together artists, curators and commissioners from across the UK, the conference focused on the significance of working in a place for a sustained period of time. Taking the notion of ‘dwelling’ as a starting point for discussions, it examined the motivations and methods of long-term, situated approaches to public art, and the challenges, responsibilities and opportunities these entail.
The day included talks by Anna Hart and Claudia Zeiske, as well as workshops led by workshops led by Becky Beinart (Primary), Kerry Morrison (In Situ), Anna Francis (Air Space Gallery) and Jayne Murray (Place Prospectors).
