Page 13 - Studio International - February 1973

Again we were surprised at achieving of Studio International have disclosed that in Krazy Kat Arkive
permission to site fifteen out of sixteen works, almost every case the sculptures were abused,
although two were at second attempt. This, defaced, vandalized, turned over, uprooted,
then, was the extent of direct contact with the attacked with pickaxes — or just carted away
cities before the installation of the sculptures. by mutual agreement. New art is always a touchy
We did not consider it feasible or necessarily business; but for anyone who prizes our
helpful to provide a mass of information on the traditional English tolerance the issue makes
sites referring to each work, but we did consider grim reading."
it important to make available such information Vandalism was not a major problem! At the
in some other form within each city for the time of invitation, it was made absolutely clear
duration of the Project. that considerable attention to the method of
An expanded version of the exhibition 'City working would be necessary in order to produce
Sculpture' (originally shown at the ICA in April works suitable for the rigorous conditions under
of last year) was shown for a period of about which they would be shown. The advice of a
three weeks in each of the cities' art galleries. consulting structural engineer was made
This was conceived in terms of an existing available to all the artists during the formulation
gallery-going public. In the spirit of this project, of proposals, on submission of proposals (one of It was announced in the November 1971 edition
we felt that the more important aspect of the main criteria of selection was on the basis of of Studio International that Eduardo Paolozzi
documenting the scheme was to make a proposed work's structural feasibility), and intended to place his collection of
information available to a much wider public. during fabrication. Not only did this service twentieth-century art and artifacts — The Krazy
Small touring exhibitions were shown in a ensure that the works were made well enough to Kat Arkive — with a Scottish university. A
variety of locations (libraries, schools, hospitals, survive all reasonable weather conditions and representative selection of the three-dimensional
post offices, airports) within each city for the minor damage, but it also provided for some a objects from the Krazy Kat Arkive was shown in
duration of the Project. unique insight into the standard craft Paolozzi's exhibition at the Tate Gallery in the
It would be impossible to achieve any degree procedures and normal requirements for public autumn of 1971; this, together with a unique
of 'public involvement' unless the Project was objects placed in cities. The two works out of collection of rare books and pulp literature — the
organized locally from each city; but this would three which suffered damage, directly resulted catalogue lists several thousand items — has
not necessarily make the works public sculptures. from ignoring structural advice. now been established in the Fine Art
Public acceptance comes with continuous The destruction of Barry Flanagan's Department of the University of St Andrews as
experience of the work and we feel convinced sculpture was an exception and arose out of a the basis of an institute to study those areas of
that a long period of display achieves more than combination of an extreme social climate, twentieth-century iconology which still remain
discussions, exhibitions, or a mass of explanatory sensational press coverage, and the inevitable an uncultivated wilderness.'
material — valuable though these may be: ill-luck resulting from student pranks (known in After twenty years the implications and
`. . .. immediate public reaction is an other social strata as vandalism). It is worth analysis of that original 'sub-culture' are
irrelevance; historically, bad public sculptures noting, however, that during the two or three beginning to be explored. But the Krazy Kat
have caused as much outrage as good ones. The weeks of showing when the work remained Arkive is not primarily an art historian's
problem is to get enough work sited long enough intact, it was seen by many more people than storehouse for the art works and source material
for repeated experience to determine real would have been possible had it been on of pop art. That it may become this —
quality.' 5 extended exhibition in an art gallery or museum. dependent on the sympathy of potential artist
Initial reaction from local press was The City Sculpture Project's intention was donors — is an incidental spin-off. That it may
expectedly sensational, but later provided quite not to produce sixteen instant public sculptures, also become a permanent working museum for
extensive coverage of readers' points of view, but to explore the potential of relating sculpture an archaeology of the future is, at this stage,
etc. Ironically, the most comprehensive piece on to what has become a largely ignored context — impossible to guarantee, although that is what is
this project came from Lawrence Alloway in his i.e. an urban situation and its public. Whether intended. Its founding policy is one of organic
article 'The Public Sculpture Problem'6 — or not any of the current negotiations for the growth by collection, investigation and
written from the USA. permanent retention of some of the works prove exhibition.
National press coverage was sparse, and successful, the primary objective of the City For several years Paolozzi had envisaged a
although The Times, the Daily Telegraph and the Sculpture Project has been achieved. A great data bank to store, catalogue, investigate and
northern edition of The Guardian seriously many people have given it a lot of thought, and research into those areas, particularly the visual,
considered this project, all writing came as a have got far more satisfaction from working on of twentieth-century media culture not generally
result of second-hand experience. It would seem this project than they expected, and we feel accepted as fine art. His exhibition at the Tate
that no writer took the trouble to visit more than that the concept is worth a continued interest crystallized for him the need to systemize his
two of the cities. Terence Mullaly's impression and commitment in the future. q own collection into an accessible form and to
that 'Reaction to the scheme has ranged from JEREMY REES consider the possibilities of future expansion
vandalism to indifference with little in between'7 TONY STOKES and analysis. Enquiries were made as to the
must be based upon other press writing, as it is possibility of providing the necessary research
inaccurate, although understandable in the light facilities, to include the appointment of a
'Lawrence Alloway, 'The public sculpture problem',
of Studio International's press section (July/ Studio International, October 1972. research fellow, in the Department of Fine Arts
August 1972). Less understandable was John 'Ibid. in the University of St Andrews. A pilot
"William Tucker (letter), December 1972, Studio
Russell's irresponsible Sunday Times coverage exhibition 'The Conditional Probability
International.
which, despite its brevity, was factually 'Terence Mullaly, 'Britain's reply to abstracts', Machine' was arranged for St Andrews in the
inaccurate: 'There is bad news of the Stuyvesant Daily Telegraph, 7 October, 1972. early part of 1972.2
Foundation's city sculpture project, by which 'William Tucker (letter), December 1972, Studio It was, supposed that the imagery of Paolozzi's
International.
eight cities in England and Wales were offered "Studio International, October 1972. work Conditional Probability Machine
outdoor sculptures by a wide range of younger "Britain's reply to abstracts', Daily Telegraph, would provide excellent polemic material to
artists. Authority was friendly enough; but 7 October, 1972. illustrate some of the Arkive's future aims.
'John Russell, 'Objecting to objects', Sunday Times,
reports in 'News in the Arts' and the recent issue 20 August, 1972. Consisting of 24 pulp images divided into
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