A (not so) public square, a stolen statue, the right to the city, aapA as an anti-monument

Abstract

Research and discussion about public art frequently focuses on conditions of emergence and production for public works. Fountains Failures Futures starts at the other end – thinking about the afterlives of public art in relation to processes of decline, decay, acts of reparation and re-imagination, transformation, and change.

We are interested in questions of sustainability, custodianship, and whether “failed” public artworks can be revitalised and thought anew. What are the implications for their authorship and ownership, and what challenges does this present for commissioners, artists, architects, and urban planners? How can producers, owners and custodians of public artworks, and the communities living with these works, anticipate and accommodate complex afterlives of public art?