In the public eye

In April, In-Situ, the pan-European network of cultural organisations creating art in public space, announced receipt of an award from the European Commission that will create a fund of €4.4 million for the META commissioning programme. META supports the development, creation and touring of art in public space that crosses borders and art forms. It focuses on three major themes: ‘European metamorphoses’, or how large-scale artistic offerings can bring renewed magic to public space; ‘Walk in Progress’, urban walks, strolls and other circuits designed to help us (re)discover our living spaces; and ‘Shared Cities’, in which the artistic creations draw their inspiration from the territories and their inhabitants themselves.

Working in public space is liberating for artists and producers. It provides an unlimited canvas and access to a public that might not visit galleries or arts centres. Creating this work is demanding, often for technical reasons, but also in that it often requires co-operation from the community in which it is located and from a whole range of authorities and organisations.

META places the work in a societal context. There is the opportunity for those who are consulted, and those who will be affected by its making and delivery, to be actively involved in the work. The work has the potential to draw on individual and collective memories, as well as on the environment in which we live. It celebrates art’s contribution to the quality of our lives.

For a performing artist, it can be a humbling experience to enter this area of practice: to realise that the contract that binds them to the audience is cemented by nothing more than the ability to fully engage with the public. At Glasgow’s Merchant City Festival in 2006, I watched a dancer, Yukiko Nakamura, move two metres in 40 minutes and yet retain an audience of 150 passers-by, simply through the authenticity and power of her performance. I’ve also seen ‘The World Famous’, a fire and theatre company create a show, that combined sound and light sculpture, live music pyrotechnics and innovative design, which attracted and enthralled an audience of over 15,000.

Working across borders and cultures is at the heart of META. As an artist, you are challenged to consider your identity, practice and values. As a producer, you have to account for differences in cultural, economic and business practice and find balance in a very unequal world.