Collaborations: Artists and Architects on Public Sites

Abstract

C ollaboration is a term that has been used frequently in the 1980s to describe various interactions among sculptors. architects. and landscape architects. What actually constitutes collaboration. however. is a complex matter; in practice. it has involved everything from the addition of a sculptor to already planned architectural project to the teamwork of artists and designers from the early planning stages of a public commission. Many artworks in public places have been completed using the first arrangement, but the second is still something of a novelty in contemporary public art.' The sculptor Nancy Holt defines three forms of collaboration. The first is the conceptual collaboration between artist and architect. working autonomously, to create complementary works. The second. called correlative. involves greater interaction in which the two professionals inform the works of each other. The third is cooperative collaboration. and involves a working team of architects. sculptors. landscape architects. fabricators. engineers. and community workers. Although all forms of collaboration are appropriate for public commissions. the third offers many fascinating possibilities for the transformation of a site.' Recent public sculpture, owing to the dedicated commitment to collaboration among artists, architects, and designers. has been a vast improvement over the confrontational works by such artists as Richard Serra. Since the 19605, when monumental abstract sculptures began to populate the urban landscape. the relationship of the work of to its site and audience has been debated. Could the abstract monoliths spawned in the era of minimalism satisfy the public predilection for figurative monuments evoking heroes of the past? Could these abstract objects compensate byenlivening outdoor spaces and creating dynamic interrelationships between spectator and site? Many artists have recently accepted the challenges of blighted urban areas by creating situations rather than monolithic abstractions. Such artists as Mary Miss. Nancy Holt, Athena Tacha,' and others were determined to raise the social consciousness of architects and to forge a new relationship between public site and viewer. (Women. though not the exclusive activists for this direction. have made a significant contribution.) They believed that their goals could be accomplished only by a more active collaborative effort with architects and landscape designers. As the monolithic object was abandoned. these artists moved beyond even the most avant-garde definitions of art to develop more accessible works. These new artworks fuse with their sites. rather than occupy them. eliciting subtle perceptual variables of time and place. For example. Mary Miss. who uses parks. quarries. and vernacular structures of various cultures as her sources. noted her concern that the viewer experience her work directly. without being intimidated by the notion that it is sculpture. Miss remarked, One of the things that I find most compelling is trying to make a strong visual. physical, and emotional experience accessible to people who aren't necessarill those who go into museums regularly. In recent years. a new maturity in the creation of public has developed. Some artists now participate in design groups, rather than passively accepting the positioning of their work on a predetermined site. The joining of architects and artists on a public site is certainly not a recent development. Throughout the ages architects have joined with painters and sculptors to create fUH~ developed programs for public sites. According to Paul Goldberger, however. modernism assured an attitude of respect for the notion of and architecture in tandem. attitude of sympathy for the idea of within works of architecture. but little patience for true collaboration.! But postmodern architecture seems to have revived notions of collaboration among artists and architects. Percent-for-art guidelines have also compelled architects to work out accommodations with artists in the public sector. I have selected for discussion here three projects that represent different collaborative processes. Nancy Holt's Dark Star Park is unusual example of a sculptor also assuming the role of landscape architect in the planning and execution of a sculpture park. Holt's collaboration was with architects. contractors. and engineers. and she assumed control of a major portion of the decision making. South Cove at Battery Park City is among the finest examples of a truly collaborative project: the sculptor Mary Miss worked with the architect Stanton Eckstut and the landscape architect Susan Child from the early planning stages of the work. Promenade Classique, at TransPotomac Canal Center. continues earlier form of collaboration, where the artists Anne and Patrick Poirier were selected for the sculpture park after the architectural complex had been designed. But the project did include a lively collaborative exchange between the sculptors and the landscape architect, M. Paul Friedberg. Each of these projects represents a possible model for future collaborations on public sites.