Public Art and City Identity
This paper by Doug Sandle, Reader in Visual Studies at the School of Art, Architecture and Design, Leeds Metropolitan University, discusses the changing presence, role and context of public art in Leeds. It suggest that public art both defines and is influenced by its physical location, both in the sense of how towns and cities see themselves, or wish to present themselves in the national and international context, as well as in the immediate and more obvious sense of the reciprocal impact of a piece of artwork set in a square surrounded by buildings.
Leeds is a city which has little in the way of contemporary or modern public art and until very recently, public art did not feature very prominently in its development programmes. However there is evidence that in the late 1990s, structural changes and processes have been put in place that will act as social and political drivers for public art development in the city.
Follow this link to download the full paper with 14 colour images in Zip format. (1.13Mb)
