In recent years, public art has sparked intense debate and controversy, fostering new perspectives on its meaning and impact while highlighting its social and political dimensions. Iconoclastic actions, the reinterpretation of monuments, and participatory art interventions have reshaped our understanding of this field, shifting the focus from mere promotion or artistic production to community perspectives and reception.
This workshop adopts a broad definition of public art, encompassing everything from monuments to street art and social activism. Our goal is to explore how these forms can be evaluated, with a particular emphasis on community perceptions and reactions. Through this analysis, we will reflect on ideas and methodologies that could enhance the study of public art and other heritage elements.
Although various analytical approaches have incorporated social science tools, this remains a field in need of deeper exploration. In this context, political meaning, collective identity, and the experience of place will be key focal points in understanding the social perception of public art.
Co-organized by the Institute of Humanities of the University of Santiago de Compostela and the European Observatory of Memories of the Solidarity Foundation of the University of Barcelona, within the framework of the Permoria project. With the collaboration of Ateneu Memòria Popular, Centre Irídia, Reial Acadèmia Catalana de Belles Arts de Sant Jordi, Asamblea Plaza de Idrissa Diallo, and Plataforma Futur Monument Presó de Dones de les Corts.
Click Here to Download the Full Programme (PDF)
AGENDA
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All sessions will be conducted in Spanish.
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Attendance is free and open to the public until the room reaches its capacity of 15 people. To ensure broader access, Sessions 1 and 3 will be streamed via this Teams link.
TUESDAY, APRIL 8
Session 1: Presentations
University of Barcelona (Historic Building)
Mathematics Meeting Room
Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 585
4:00 PM (Duration: 3h 30m)
Format:
- 2 hours of presentations (7 speakers, 15 minutes each)
- 1 hour of debate
Coordinators: Nuria Ricart & Jordi Guixé
Speakers & Topics:
- Daniel Palacios (UNED): “Investigating Monuments: Theory, Sources, and Methodologies”
- Nuria Ricart (UB) & Jordi Guixé (EUROM – Fundació Solidaritat UB): “The Concept of Uncomfortable Heritage and Its Social Impact”
- Gabriela Vaz-Pinheiro (University of Porto): “Context and Memory: Toward an Ecology of the Poetic Experience of Public Art”
- Paula Garra Crespo (University of Granada): “Emotional Connections between Humans and the Landscape through Public Art”
- Xosé R. Cisneros (University of Santiago): “How to Measure Perception? A Proposal for Evaluating Public Art on Social Media”
- Laura Luque (University of Jaén): “Conversational Dynamics and Community Workshops for Effective Public Art Management”
- M. Anxo Rodríguez (University of Santiago): “To What Extent Does It Affect? Between Activism and the Transformation of the Public Sphere”
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9
Session 2: Field Visits & Community Conversations
9:30 AM – 1:30 PM (Duration: 4 hours)
Sites & Schedule:
- 9:30 AM – Memorial Site Les Corts Women’s Prison
- 12:00 PM – Antonio López y López Monument, Idrissa Dialo Square
Session 3: Conclusions & Open Debate
University of Barcelona (Historic Building)
Mathematics Meeting Room
Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 585
2:30 PM
Format:
- Each speaker presents a 10-minute summary of their conclusions from the field visits and discussions.
- Open debate (online participation available).
- The session coordinator will summarize key insights, which will be compiled into a final document for the project team.
Part of the research project “Performativity of the Monument: Social Perception and Interventions on Public Art in Spain and Portugal Since 1950” (Ref. PID2023-149178NB-I00), funded by MCIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/FEDER, EU.
Survey
This activity is co-financed by the European Commission and for its evaluation we kindly ask your collaboration in filling out this survey. It will take about 10 minutes, and you will need the information indicated below. Thank you very much!
- Reference of the Project: 101194553
- Type of activity: Awareness-raising
- Title: Networking activity
- Duration of the event in days: 2
- Hybrid
- University of Barcelona