Scholarly record

"INSPIRATION BANK" PROJECT – SOCIALLY ENGAGED ART IN URBAN SPACES: THE CASE STUDY OF GDANSK

Justyna Borucka

Abstract

The article discusses the role of art in the city, particularly its transformative role in merging the processes of public participation and the regeneration of public spaces. It discusses the practical aspects of citizen engagement in the artistic projects in public city space. The process of promoting social participation in creating public space and public art, involving a variety of artists and forms of expression leads to experimentation in the public sphere. This experimentation results in an improved quality of space. Such a unique practice of involving citizens in creating public art generates unexpected manifestations of creativity. This process of public participation could be encouraged, designed and stimulated by onsite workshops related to the actual art experiments. The analysis is based on examples of the artistic experiments of inhabitants of one of Gdansk’s neighbourhoods, developed during a series of experimental workshops held for the project “Inspiration Bank”, which was organized by Gdansk University of Technology, the City Initiative Association and Gdansk City Gallery. The workshops were designed with a special emphasis on direct work with different artists, employing different mediums in a variety of fields. How the results of such an approach influence the perception of art, space, and the city are key findings of this project. Creative Workshops were a series of workshops held by specially invited artists. Coordinated by architects and academic teachers, they were designed to introduce image and sound to the process of public art creation. The purpose for organizing the workshops was to create a series of simple artistic statements constituting the inspiration for further artistic actions in Gdansk. Artists used simple techniques and educational activities in the course of the project to get inhabitants to participate in the experience of art in a variety of forms. Inspiration for the project came from research concerning the cultural evolution of the European City and also the activities organized within the EU project: People’s Smart Sculpture. This article aims to understand how people’s involvement in public art expands consciousness about public space and plays a critical role in protecting and shaping the city landscape. In this case, direct contact with artists plays a vital role, particularly as artistic engagement leads to discovering and portraying synergies between humans and space. Engagement can reflect the interplay between artistic projects and city landscapes and develop strategies for protecting and improving cultural heritage.

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