Ian Banks, Art and Architecture Consultant, Director of Atoll
Ian Banks, Art and Architecture Consultant, Director of Atoll
Ian Banks, Art and Architecture Consultant, Director of Atoll
Ian Banks: Introduction Public Art: Ancient History Key Developments in UK Alternative Public Art Artist Selection Typical Budgets Funding Carlisle Public Art Program
Architect: 1986-2012
Key Experience: Chartered Architect with 25 years post-qualification experience including a diverse portfolio of designing and project managing major capital projects and public art and architecture collaborations both cultural and commercial.
www.atoll-uk.com
Key Experience: Officer involved throughout NW. Helped support key strategic projects, Local Authority Arts Officers and regional GftA bids for public realm. Created public art guidebook and public art northwest website and public art funding guidelines with ACE NW for NWDA in 2002.
www.publicartnorthwest.org.uk
Atoll: 2005-12
Key Experience: Co-Author in last 7 years of urban design and public realm frameworks (with Gillespies LLP) for Bradford, Carlisle and Lancaster City Councils; and author of public art strategies for Cheshire East and Chester & Cheshire West , Preston, St. Helens, Halton, Burnley, Craven, Markham Vale and Derby Councils; as well as Isle of Man Government and Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen.
www.atoll-uk.com
Origins
.....1400BC...200BC.126AD1200...1319.................15041791.
There are no real rules or originality in determining the genre of what we call public art today. Its evolutionary timeline is thousands of years old, and has ultimately been influenced by the overriding drivers of the era.
Influences
Cultural, religious, political, military, commemorative, revolutionary, utopian, regenerative, celebratory or even media & marketing have all influenced public art at one time or other. In some cases, the cycle has even come around full circle.
Key Developments in UK
1951
Festival of Britain focused on hope in rebuilding Britain through good design after the war. Centred on the South Bank, but also a touring exhibition, it also marked the centenery of the 1851 Great Exhibition. Its icon was the Skylon, created by Hidalgo Moya, Philip Powell and Felix Samuely and Dome of Discovery (all later scrapped by the later Churchill Government).
1980
National Garden Festivals were part of the cultural regeneration of large areas of derelict land in post-industrial Britain during the 80s and early 90s. Five were held in total - one every two years, each in a different town or city - after the idea was pushed by environment secretary Michael Hestletine.
1988
Percent for Art legislation was first proposed by, Arts Council of Great Britain in 1988 based on the advice of Robert Carnworth QCs to enhance the built environment by encouraging developers to devote a proportion of capital expenditure to the provision of art, craft or decoration. The debate still rages.
1994
National Lottery Fund has injected around 2 billion into the arts since inception in 1994. The Millennium Fund also awarded 200m to 32,000 applicants to mark the new century and invested in a range of projects and project sizes. Lottery funding continues to be very important and funds ACEs Grants for the Arts for example www.artscouncil.org.uk
1998
Newcastle-Gateshead / Angel of the North by Anthony Gormley has seeded many copycat proposals from Regeneration agencies where biggest or most expensive is the datum (i.e. See Mark Wallingers Ebbsfleet White Horse and Anish Kapoors Temenos) -
www.angelofthenorth.org.uk
2006
Panopticons is an arts and regeneration project of the East Lancashire Environmental Arts Network managed by Mid Pennine Arts. It involves 4 21st-century landmarks, or Panopticons (structures providing a comprehensive view). Notable amongst these is Singing Ringing Tree (2006) in Burnley by Tonkin Liu www.midpenninearts.org.uk
2007
BIG Art Trust was funded by The Northern Way, The Art Fund and Arts Council England to deliver 7 projects documented by Channel 4. The most notable of these was St Helens Dream by Jaume Plensa for the old Sutton Colliery site www.dreamsthelens.com
2007
Lakes Alive and Kendal International Arts precedents also developed out of these regional cultural tourism and marketing programmes
2008
Liverpool Capital of Culture was a key driver in public art and its evaluation, with other Northern Way funded projects like Antony Gormleys Another Place at Sefton.
www.liverpool08.com
2008
Kevin McCoud and the Big Town Plan another fly on the wall documentary following the regeneration of Castleford with a major public realm and arts infusion into the town
www.channel4.com
2012
2012
London 2012 Olympic Park Orbit by Anish Kapoor will become the largest public art work in UK
www.orbittower.org.uk
2012
Localism and Big Society is a major potential driver and vehicle for both arts and artist development and creative community engagement
www.carlisle.gov.uk/planning-and-buildings/localism-in-action-for-rural.aspx
Lettering
New Media
Wayfinding / Interpretation
Artist Selection
Ixia is the national think-tank for public art intelligence in England. www.ixia-info.com
Public Art Online mamaged by Ixia is probably the most comprehensive and up to date database for public art case studies and commissioning / funding opportunities. www.publicartonline.org.uk
Public Art Scotland though geared for Scotland only, still provides useful information on industry precedents www.publicartscotland.com
Typical Budgets
1.0m
1.42m
0.45m
1.88m
3.0m
B of the Bang Thomas Heatherwwick 56m @ 1.42 million (2002) No Infrastructure Since Demolished
Turning the Place Over Jaume Plensa 25m @ 0.45 million (2005) Temporary / No Infrastructure
23.0m
6.0m
10.0m
10.0m
Orbit Tower Anish Kapoor 115m @ 23 million (London 2012) Incl. Infrastructure
Waking The Dragon Stephen J Winterburn 46m @ 6 million (2012 +) Incl. Visitor Centre etc
Ebbsfleet White Horse Mark Wallinger 50m @ 10 million (2012 +) Infrastructure Unknown
Star of Caledonia Charles Jencks 45m @ 3.0 10.0 million (2014 Commonwealth Games) Infrastructure Unknown
Funding
ERDF
ERDF funding has issued 5bn of funding in UK since 2000, with 3.2bn now being invested in projects for the current programme (2007-13). Programmes target employment, enterprise, innovation, and other regional priorities. 1.4bn funding remains www.communities.gov.uk
Reading between the lines.. Look to Grants for the Arts funding clues in strategy like ACEs published 10-year Turning Point strategy for strengthening the visual arts in England and DCMSs Lifting People Lifting Places. www.artscouncil.org.uk
Arts Development UK site carries news, a number of sample case studies and resource material and so provides a good entry-level understanding of strategic influences and opportunities at LA level. www.artsdevelopmentuk.org
Section 106 planning funding previously generated % for Art and now new Community Infrastructure Levy holds the same potential. Complicated area to understand, but worth gaining an insight. www.idea.gov.uk
The Landfill Communities Fund tax credit scheme enables operators of landfill sites to contribute money to enrolled Environmental Bodies to carry out projects that meet environmental objects contained in the Landfill Tax Regulations. www.entrust.org.uk
For example, Esmee Fairbairne Foundation will acknowledge receipt of your first stage application within a week of receiving it and email you within a month to say whether they would like to take it to a second stage or decline to support it. www.esmeefairbairn.org.uk
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation is not a grant-making organisation and does not accept speculative enquiries for funding. It issue 'calls for proposals' and invite submissions to them. www.jrf.org.uk
Last year alone Henry Moore Foundation gave over 1 million in grants to projects that reflect the aims of the Foundation. The Grants Committee meets four times annually to consider applications including R&D and research fellowships. www.henry-moore-fdn.co.uk
Crowd Source funding is a huge growth area in public-generated micro funding that can gather real mommentum www.angelsharesscotland.com
2011
Local Enterprise Partnerships have replaced the RDAs in a process beginning with White Paper in 2011. Prior to this, 'Big Ticket Issues for NWDA, were identified in new Future North West vision. New LEPs fit into the Governments Decentralisation and Localism Bill. Local Social Enterprise is also being targeted.
2012
Arts Council England has now announced its Strategic Framework for the Arts as well as National Portfolio funding plans until 2015, and is shortly to define in detail its plans for Endowments in the Arts (philanthropy) and building Digital Capacity with (BBC Academy)
www.artscouncil.org.uk
2012
Local Economic Partnership critical for developing a strategic and collaborative partnership vision with a range of partners
www.cumbrialep.co.uk
2012
Public Art within the Urban Design Guide & Public Realm Framework albeit a complex set of comprehensive (and expensive) proposals, still highlights important issues that remain today. A key part of this was a dual public art and art in public spaces strategy. These need to be reviewed first.