Page 29 - Studio International - July August 1972

The Council of the City of Hanover appeals to damage or loss. In the event of a sale, the confirmation when the final proposals were made
artists for their co-operation, to patrons of the money already received has to be considered. known to the City Authorities. Reports from a
arts interested in this experiment for further In deciding on the cities to be invited to structural engineer were prepared on all the
funds and to the visitors and people of the city participate it was agreed that the most proposals and made available to the selectors.
for their participation and their criticism. On satisfactory approach in terms of the concept of Of the twenty-four initial proposals seventeen
this basis the Council will decide whether to the project would be to aim at siting two works were selected for full-scale realization and siting
continue or terminate the scheme.' in each of eight cities in England/Wales. As two (the number being determined at least in part
Martin Neuffer, November 1970 works in the context of a city of the size of by the finance available).
London would be meaningless in impact, it was Several changes in sites and cities had to be
In Germany, the City of Hanover has agreed to exclude London—and also Bristol and made as a result of detailed negotiations with
undertaken what is probably the most ambitious Nottingham where work had already been shown the authorities on the basis of the actual
of this type of project — Street Art 197o-73. in central city areas. The final selection of cities proposals. It is important to bear in mind that
The scheme was the idea of Walter de la Motte, to be approached was on a population/ up to this stage all agreement in principle had
director of the art centre, who was supported by geographical basis—Newcastle, Liverpool, been undertaken by the cities without any idea
Martin Neuffer, a town official. The stated aim Sheffield, Birmingham, Cambridge, Cardiff, of the nature of the work they might be asked to
was not to beautify the town but to extend the Southampton and Plymouth. accommodate. The necessary permission meant
awareness of the people. Neuffer is quoted as While financial participation on the part of dealing with planning/architects/city
saying that if the scheme is not successful it will the eight cities would have enlarged the budget engineers/traffic/museum and art gallery/
have proved to him that art is a minority interest and made it possible to increase the scope of the housing/parks/castle/legal departments and
and that its artefacts should be returned to their Project it was felt that by avoiding requests for committees.
ghettos, the museums. city finance a much more flexible attitude would The scope of the City Sculpture Project was
probably be forthcoming as the local limited to artists who were basically 'object
politicians would not be faced with the makers'. We have tried to indicate in the
City Sculpture Project '72 inevitable questions on the 'squandering of documentary exhibitions and in the catalogue
Following the 'New British Sculpture/Bristol' rates', etc. It was however hoped that the cities that there are many artists who have, to a
exhibition, discussion took place with the Peter would underwrite site preparation costs greater or lesser extent, rejected this role and
Stuyvesant Foundation with a view to (particularly where this was carried out by their are more concerned with areas that lie in other
formulating the policy for a project whereby own staff). In the event, the contribution in this directions. We feel that they may well have as
sculptors could be commissioned to produce respect has been disappointingly limited. much, or more, to offer to the city environment
works for specific central city sites with the The mechanics of the City Sculpture Project and we hope that there will soon be
benefit of the knowledge of conditions and were that concurrently with obtaining agreement opportunities to explore this. The task of
problems encountered with the Bristol and in principle to participate from eight cities, a obtaining civic collaboration may well be
subsequent exhibitions of this type. list of over 100 names was compiled of sculptors formidable.
The Peter Stuyvesant Foundation had working in this country—using past exhibition The City Sculpture Project has been
already given considerable assistance to the material, the services of AIR, the Regional Art co-ordinated on behalf of the Peter Stuyvesant
visual arts (as well as music) in this country— Officers of the Arts Council and a number of Foundation by Jeremy Rees (of the Arnolfini
including the 'New Generation' exhibitions at individual sculptors and exhibition organizers. Gallery, Bristol) and Anthony Stokes. It would
the Whitechapel Art Gallery and the formation Wherever possible, up-to-date visual reference not have been possible without the willing and
of the Peter Stuyvesant Foundation Collection material was assembled for consideration by the generous collaboration of the sculptors and the
of Recent British Painting, which was first two selectors, Stewart Mason and Phillip King, many people and organizations in the eight
shown in its entirety at the Tate in 1967, and who were to nominate 24 sculptors to prepare cities, and elsewhere in this country and
has since been on tour throughout the world. initial proposals. However much information on abroad, who have given so much advice and
The basis of the proposals for the City however many sculptors working in this help.
Sculpture Project was that a number of country is amassed, selection would be an The purpose of the City Sculpture Project is
sculptors should be commissioned to produce invidious (and in the final event) arbitrary task. to provide an opportunity for sculptors to
works for specific sites in a number of cities, the Recent events relating to possible alternatives produce works related to a specific city
works would be sited for a minimum period of to selection of artists to take part in such events environment, which can then be evaluated by a
six months in order that the general public would as 'Art Spectrum: London' and the forthcoming general public over a reasonable period of time
have an opportunity to become acclimatized to Hayward Biennale only serve to underline the and with the benefit of additional documentary
them, and that this should be furthered by a point. exhibition material. This is one situation in
series of documentary exhibitions (made In any project of this nature there are bound which the instant 'art criticism' based on a brief
possible by the generous support of the Arts to be proposals which for one reason or another visit is definitely of very limited validity. It is
Council of Great Britain) giving background cannot be carried through satisfactorily and it now a question of waiting until the autumn to
information on the concept/the participating was considered essential that there should be gain some reasonable idea of the success or
artists and the works produced for each city/ some form of selection once the initial proposals failure of the project, both as a whole and in
earlier projects in this country and (in the form of maquettes or drawings, together particular situations. In no sense is the project an
abroad/various aspects of past and present with report and detailed costings) had been attempt to provide definitive works on a few
sculpture which might have a bearing on this produced. The twenty-four sculptors were chosen sites, but rather to raise the whole
and future projects. asked for their first/second/third choices of the question of the potential of new sculpture in the
A fee and expenses were to be paid to each eight cities and arrangements were made for city environment under conditions which we
sculptor for producing initial proposals. For each sculptor to visit one city and to select hope will be more favourable, for both the
the works finally commissioned for siting, a sites in consultation with the Project organizers sculptors and the public, than those previously
sum up to an agreed maximum was to be made and representatives of the City Architects/ available.
available for materials/fabrication and in Planning departments. Already a number of the sculptors have got
addition to a further fee, the works were to Negotiations were then conducted on behalf far more satisfaction from working on the
remain the property of the sculptors— of the sculptors in order to obtain agreement in Project than they had expected—we hope that
although they would not be insured against principle for the use of the sites — subject to the public will too. q