Arts and design in the public realm

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Our art and design in the public realm (often known as public art) programme aims to create attractive public spaces and places in Wiltshire. It promotes an integrated, collaborative and strategic approach towards art and design in the public realm.

It does this by encouraging artists, design, planning and construction professionals to come together at an early stage in development projects to influence and create a shared vision for architecture, public space, planning and high quality design and to consult with communities to create a sense of place for both local people and visitors to Wiltshire.

Art and design in the public realm provides new arts works made by an artist, arts practitioner or craftsperson and located in publicly accessible spaces and places. It could be sculpture, photographs, street furniture, painting, projection, text, lighting, music, cultural events or the internal fabric of a building, its furniture or flooring.

• What is art and design in the public realm?
• Appropriate to site and context
• Role of the arts service
• Links and publications

What is art and design in the public realm?

Art and design in the public realm is often considered to be formal, permanent, monumental or object-based, but it can be something more subtle such as a lighting scheme or even a cultural event. It can also be part of social, community and cultural investment in new developments, the design and use of education, healthcare, residential and public spaces.

There is no single definition of art and design. It can be permanent or temporary, large or small scale. It can extend the fine arts of drawing, painting and sculpture into new formats and new locations. It can incorporate text, craft, applied art and design, photography, print, moving image, computer generated images, projection, live art, installation and performance, light, sound music and cultural events. It can simply be sensitive lighting or artisticially enhanced and integrated architectural elements, such as fences, doorways or pathways. It may refer to our heritage or celebrate the future, highlight specific areas and issues or be conceptual.

In whatever form, it has one consistent quality; it is site-specific, of high quality and it is appropriate to site or context of the development.

Appropriate to site and context

Art and design in the public realm is site-specific, of high quality and it is appropriate to site or context of the development. When art and design within the public realm is an integral part of the design process it will:

• Add value to a development
• Enable creative collaborations between artist and design team and between the development and the community
• Enable creative collaborations between the private sector developer and the public sector services, such as schools, care-homes, and community groups
• Contribute to high quality design and place shaping.
• Deliver high quality and well planned environments that create a sense of well being and sense of pride in the local community and environment.
• Add local distinctiveness and opportunities to explore and articulate issues of local significance.
• Offer an opportunity to plan projects which go beyond the purely functional and create places that reflect the life, identity and aspirations of a particular place or community.
• Create employment opportunities for local and regional artists, craftspeople and manufacturers.
• Contribute to the protection and enhancement of Wiltshire’s rich built and environmental heritage.

Role of the arts service

We want to encourage developers to look at an integrated approach to art and design, to achieve overall design quality in architectural and landscape terms by involving artists in the design process from the earliest stage rather than being commissioned to make a number of features to be added to and placed around a particular development site.

Planning applicants of developments considered to be of a significant scale are encouraged to include in the design brief and master plan a strategy for the inclusion of art and design within the design process. This encourages the engagement of specialist public art consultants/advisors to develop this framework for art and design in the public realm.

We liaise with developers as well as commission art works directly within council developments.

A guidance note has been prepared to assist in the development of public art strategies/plans.

Links and publications

• Wiltshire Council guidance note for art and design in the public realm.
• IXIA is the public art think tank – it provides guidance on the role of art in the public realm. It also has a useful links section
• Public Art Online – a website owned and managed by IXIA, which has a wealth of information on how artists and creative activity can contribute to the built and natural environment, regeneration initiatives, sustainable development, architecture and urban design.

Last updated: 6 January 2012