Participants took a break from exam revision to head down to the Architecture Centre for some slightly more outside-the-box thinking on the theme of public art. They met Scott Farlow, landscape architect, poet, public artist, teacher and interior designer.
Later, he moved to Bristol and worked for a landscape architecture practice. However, he found the position frustrating, describing the role as involving "too many impact assessments" and not enough creativity. After a short stint at an architecture practice he then decided to go solo and develop the multi-faceted career that he has today.
Now, he works as a public artist, designer and creative practitioner, producing a variety of work; many are collaborations with other artists and some are temporary or mobile works that involve local communities. He is also a poet, and lectures on both the Interior Design and Landscape Architecture courses at The University of Gloucestershire. It is, he says, "a fascination in the peculiarities of people and the extraordinary beauty in the ordinary" that drives his creative process, in all its many forms.
When asked to give advice to the participants, Scott took a typically creative approach. In line with the love of artistic manifestos that he professed earlier in the session, Scott showed a letter that he had written to his past self last year. The advice was wide-ranging, but centred around staying true to what you believe in and to never stop trying new things.
The second group presented a three-part proposal, with art pieces to represent past, present and future. From abandoned pieces of boats and trains to waterfalls over a graffiti wall painted by local primary school students, their creative ideas referenced all parts of the brief.
The next group presented a public space with all sorts of different interactive features. This included an interactive digital mural wall, a colour wheel and places to sit.
Useful links:
General resources about public art:
Inspiring public art projects:
Part one: warm up
To start, groups of participants were given a set of diverse photographs to identify what was, and was not, public art. The photos stimulated a lively debate, with groups asked to justify why they made their decisions.
A picture was dismissed by one group as a boring park, but when asked by Scott to look again, a man-made geyser was identified. What looked to be an empty dining room table turned out to be the product of a participatory community arts project. Other groups praised more interactive pieces like Luke Jerram's street pianos or Gromit Unleashed statues, but were asked by Scott to consider the criticisms of these too. They considered the scale of works, discussing the Angel of the North's impact on the Gateshead area.
Participants started to consider the many possible attributes of public art. Adjectives that came up varied from useful to decorative, iconic to conversational, temporary to permanent and many more besides. Conversation was lively, and it became clear that defining 'public art' is a pretty impossible task!
A picture was dismissed by one group as a boring park, but when asked by Scott to look again, a man-made geyser was identified. What looked to be an empty dining room table turned out to be the product of a participatory community arts project. Other groups praised more interactive pieces like Luke Jerram's street pianos or Gromit Unleashed statues, but were asked by Scott to consider the criticisms of these too. They considered the scale of works, discussing the Angel of the North's impact on the Gateshead area.
Part two: inspirer
Next, Scott gave a presentation about both himself and public art more generally. He began by showing some of his favourite pieces of public art, including Jeff Koons' Puppy in Bilbao and Do Ho Suh's Fallen Star in San Diego. Using examples closer to home, he talked about Neville Gabie's Cabot Circus Cantata, a choir of construction workers involved in the development.
Then, Scott explained his route to where he is today. Growing up in the countryside of Kent and Sussex, he was surrounded by nature from an early age. He said that he wasn't strong at maths in school, and thought that architecture was too precise for his creative mind. He chose to study Landscape Architecture undergraduate at Leeds Polytechnic (now Leeds Beckett University), then undertook the postgraduate Landscape course at Manchester Metropolitan. Post academia, he developed a passion for working with commercial clients to engage with communities to develop participatory projects.
Then, Scott explained his route to where he is today. Growing up in the countryside of Kent and Sussex, he was surrounded by nature from an early age. He said that he wasn't strong at maths in school, and thought that architecture was too precise for his creative mind. He chose to study Landscape Architecture undergraduate at Leeds Polytechnic (now Leeds Beckett University), then undertook the postgraduate Landscape course at Manchester Metropolitan. Post academia, he developed a passion for working with commercial clients to engage with communities to develop participatory projects.
Later, he moved to Bristol and worked for a landscape architecture practice. However, he found the position frustrating, describing the role as involving "too many impact assessments" and not enough creativity. After a short stint at an architecture practice he then decided to go solo and develop the multi-faceted career that he has today.
Now, he works as a public artist, designer and creative practitioner, producing a variety of work; many are collaborations with other artists and some are temporary or mobile works that involve local communities. He is also a poet, and lectures on both the Interior Design and Landscape Architecture courses at The University of Gloucestershire. It is, he says, "a fascination in the peculiarities of people and the extraordinary beauty in the ordinary" that drives his creative process, in all its many forms.
When asked to give advice to the participants, Scott took a typically creative approach. In line with the love of artistic manifestos that he professed earlier in the session, Scott showed a letter that he had written to his past self last year. The advice was wide-ranging, but centred around staying true to what you believe in and to never stop trying new things.
Part three: design challenge
Next, the participants were presented with a real-life brief that is currently out to tender as part of the University of Bristol's Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus. Located in a neglected area alongside Temple Meads Station, the new development will take over the site of the old Royal Mail sorting office. In keeping with the aims of the campus to engage more with the city, the University has invited submissions from artists that work with local communities and respond to the historical uses of the site. They have also expressed a preference for work that digital work and poetry. With a lot to think about, participants split into small groups to come up with a proposal for both a public art creation (either temporary or permanent) as well as a creative process for engaging the local community.
The first group to present suggested re-purposing an antique train carriage and turning it into a pop-up installation. Decorated on the exterior by local muralists, they suggested photographs submitted by members of the public through a digital platform could be projected onto the walls and ceiling. They also suggested creating oversized stationary sculptures to lean against University buildings to create a lasting and iconic project alongside the temporary space.
The second group presented a three-part proposal, with art pieces to represent past, present and future. From abandoned pieces of boats and trains to waterfalls over a graffiti wall painted by local primary school students, their creative ideas referenced all parts of the brief.
The next group presented a public space with all sorts of different interactive features. This included an interactive digital mural wall, a colour wheel and places to sit.
The final group proposed a large-scale envelope sculpture, referencing the previous use of the sit as a mail sorting office. They suggested involving the local community by making a design competition for school students. Each year, children in the area would have the chance to compete for the chance to create a stamp to go on the sculpture.
Part four: thank yous
After a thought provoking and somewhat exhausting session, Amy wrapped up. She thanked Scott and the participants for coming, wishing the best to everyone with upcoming exams.
Useful links:
General resources about public art:
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