ACT_VISION

Abstract

This paper takes the form of personal memoir as a reflection on art in the public domain and a means by which to re-tell the conceptual development and evolution of IMAG_NE, a concrete poem and public sculpture. The concept was first developed for my Masters of Arts (Art in Public Space) at RMIT University. Initially an aid to assist my own personal creative evolution, the artwork has now toured as an ephemeral installation to communities across Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the United States of America and has been widely used as a tool to promote community initiatives and collective visioning. Joseph Beuys’s theories of a “social sculpture” are drawn upon as a conceptual framework to underpin IMAG_NE and its agenda to promote individual and societal change. The power of the human imagination is evoked in an ongoing conference with a broad range of sites, communities and individuals. The impact of IMAG_NE is demonstrated through key examples including its appearance at numerous large public sculpture festivals and significant cultural sites. Recent developments surrounding the work’s presence in the Central Coast community of New South Wales, Australia, provides further evidence of the work’s importance and impact, and motivation for the continuation of the project into the post-Covid 19 pandemic era.