Abstract
Can the figure of the city of knowledge be an inspiration to commissioning of artistic research in contexts of urban change? This article argues that it represents a way beyond the seemingly dead ends that have been forged by the temporary and creative city. This article presents some initial reflections on this subject and reflects upon how artistic research expands the roles ascribed to public art.
 The conceptual approach to understand the relations between knowledge and the development of cities applied in this article, draws on the idea that cities are learned developed by urban geographer Colin MacFarlane (MacFarlane, 2011). The article applies MacFarlane’s concept to artistic research in public space and argues that artistic research as public art can move divisions between what is extra-public and public, known and unknown. Drawing on public art projects that have relations to the urban development of Bjørvika, the article argues that artistic research of the city produces new ways to “learn the city” and conceive change.
Highlights
Can the figure of the city of knowledge be an inspiration to commissioning of artistic research in contexts of urban change? This article argues that it represents a way beyond the seemingly dead ends that have been forged by the temporary and creative city
This article presents some initial reflections on this subject and reflects upon how artistic research trangresses the roles ascribed to public art
The conceptual approach to understand the relations between knowledge and the development of cities applied in this article, draws on the idea that cities are learned developed by urban geographer Colin MacFarlane (MacFarlane, 2011)
Summary
The transformation of the waterfront area of Bjørvika in Oslo, which began in 2003, was strongly influenced by the notion of the ‘creative city’ and the cultural economy. Problematic in many ways, when applied in urban development, cultural strategies ascribe roles to art, thereby producing positions within a development scheme to protest and contest these very same roles. Another figure of urbanity that ascribes a role and forges an action space for art is ‘the temporary city’. As artists are being invited into the pluralistic blend of competences that urban development represents, it is timely to imagine roles for public art that go beyond the discourses on the temporary and creative city. The matter is relevant because the role and space of action of art in urban development change according to which vision of urbanity urban developers aspire to realize
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