How Intimate Public and Participatory Art Fails the City

Abstract

Building on the work of Richard Sennett and Anne Salmond, this chapter examines public and participatory practices in Aotearoa New Zealand from a decolonial perspective, arguing instead for a public and participatory art founded on an indigenous worldview, if the New Zealand city is to improve in its capacity to accommodate and grow out of its differences. As a direct consequence of Auckland Council's policy, a range of temporary and participatory public art projects have been commissioned to date, some of which will serve to illustrate the dynamics of an intimate society and to tease out unspoken, if not entirely unconscious, ontological assumptions. Satellites was a curated programme of public projects featuring contemporary Asian artists in Auckland, funded by Auckland Council over three years – 2017–19. Miss Changy was part of the inaugural Satellites programme in 2017, taking the form of a breakfast event on Saturday 29th April.