CREATURE hosts London Sculpture Week Inaugural Symposium News

Research Centre for Creative Arts, Cultures and Engagement hosted London Sculpture Week's Inaugural Symposium this year

Date: 04 November

London Met's CREATURE (Research Centre for Creative Arts, Cultures and Engagement) was delighted to host London Sculpture Week's Inaugural Symposium in partnership with The Line, Sculpture in the City, Fourth Plinth and Frieze Sculpture.

This evening of discussion and exchange, considering the unique role that public art plays in cities like London, continued our Annual Symposia on Public Art – developed from a research partnership between The Line and CREATURE. Timed to coincide with London Sculpture Week 2024, this symposium brought together four organisations who are united by a drive to make space for sculpture, facilitate spontaneous encounters, and make art accessible.

Research in Public Art practices highlights the evolving approaches in the sector and the latter’s cultural value and social impact. Historically, sculpture has represented the medium with which public art has been mostly associated. Its implications are, however, complex, often provoking lively responses and controversial debates: heavy with a lineage of monuments, sculpture in public space now has the potential and a duty to reconsider historic power relations, decolonising the public realm.

Key questions explored included:

• How do organisational contexts impact on commissioning approaches and ways of working?
• How is public sculpture activated through participation?
• What is the relationship between public sculpture and performance?
• How can sculpture diversify the public realm in London and promote engagement with different communities?

Contributors

• Jo Baxendale, Visual Arts Project Manager Fourth Plinth, Greater London Authority
• Sarah Carrington, Deputy Director, The Line
• Libby Heaney, Artist, libbyheaney.co.uk
• Stella Ioannou, Artistic Director of Sculpture in the City and Founding Director of Lacuna
• Katie Schwab, Artist, The Line
• Vanessa da Silva, Artist, Sculpture in the City
• Fatoş Üstek, Curator, Frieze Sculpture
• Symposium Moderator: Dr Jacek Ludwig Scarso, Deputy Director of CREATURE

Additional information

A dedicated podcast was created by Shade Media, supported by Bloomberg Connect, to document the event.

This event was part of London Sculpture Week, a collaboration between four major cultural initiatives – Frieze Sculpture, the Fourth Plinth, Sculpture in the City, and The Line – celebrating the capital’s vibrant creative spirit through outdoor sculptures that invigorate the city’s public spaces. This third edition of London Sculpture Week ran from 21 to 29 September 2024.