Public Space, Public Art, and Public Life

For those of you who were wondering about those random blue poles by Tommy Trojan, they are an installation by Chris Janney titled “Sonic Forest”. “Sonic Forest” combines public space, music, and architecture into a form that elicits human interaction; every time you wave your hand in front of the pole, it makes nature sounds (it also makes you late to class). Though I was unable to attend the opening reception, I did listen in on the discussion afterward that featured not only Janney, but Scott Fisher, chair of the Interactive Media Division at the USC School of Cinematic Arts; Anne Bray, director of LA Freewaves, Ted Tanner, LA Live executive committee member, Qingyun Ma, Dean of the USC School of Architecture, and Robert Kraft, composer and CEO of Fox Music, Inc.

What was interesting was how their conversations touched upon concerns as to how one would define art, which were topics that we discussed in class. Janney and Kraft uses Marcel Duchamp’s famous urinal piece to illustrate how art is the manipulation of perception. Janney explains that Duchamp flipped the urinal upside down, stripping it of its former utility as a plumbing fixture, while giving it the potential to become something else, and it is this alteration of its use that makes this piece a work of art. Also, art is a reflection of a culture’s history and socioeconomic situation in that time the artwork is produced, so in reference to Duchamp’s urinal, our society today would probably view it as simply a urinal and nothing more. Meanwhile, the moderator of the panel, Martin Kaplan, defines art as “the intention of getting attention and to hold onto people’s focus.” The group also discussed the relation between art and public space, as well as their impact on their audience. Bray believes that the term “art” creates distance between the artist and the viewer since this word seems to intimidate the common observer, as society stereotypically associates the subject of art with a particular circle of people. Meanwhile, Janney feels that the artist cannot be both the participant in a work of art and its observer at the same time, because the creator has a different perspective and experience than the critic that reflects upon it. As for public spaces, Qingyun Ma believes that a space first has to be commercial, before becoming an area intended for people (or public space). As an example, he alluded to the buildings in downtown LA, where only 1/10 of a building is meant for pedestrians and visitors while the rest is strictly commercial. He claims that this is why we fail to see pedestrians on the street who frequent downtown LA for leisure or recreation; most of them do not stay, nor do they have a reason to. Overall, it was an enlightening talk that offered interesting perspectives on many of the impalpable interactions between art, architecture, and people that we often overlook.