Public space as a display. A-Station: walk&art

/ Urbanism /

Adaptive reuse of architecture in a modern urban environment is impossible without the revitalization of public spaces surrounding it. Sometimes design, as well as art, make the public truly magical
influence — and yesterday's transit zone has evolved into a creative laboratory. But considering the fact that art, in comparison with design, is an even stronger "medicine", its use must be strictly dosed.

Why integrate objects of modern art into a new, but already successful urban space, such as Kyiv A-Station? In what proportions is art appropriate and does not cause conflict? Why does the city lose the competition in the development of public spaces to private capital? And how to find a win-win solution in the context of interdependence of urban publics on each other, which would develop the urban environment as a whole? We understand with the help of art historians, urban managers and artists.

The Kanaal art district on the banks of the Albert Canal in the suburbs of Antwerp, Belgium. Photo: Jan Liégeois

Art, and creative industries in general, have long been and are widely used as a powerful tool for revitalization, which has shown itself positively many times. This is an encyclopedic, repeatedly described example of Spanish Bilbao in creative management guides; The Coventry Phoenix Initiative in British Coventry, where architects MacCormac Jamieson Prichard, using the forces of design and art, turned a pedestrian route through the city center into a metaphorical journey devoted to the theme of reconciliation between the present and the future; the SoWa Art + Design District in Washington, considered one of the most successful art districts in the world; the Hombroich rocket station, transformed by the collector Karl-Heinrich Müller into an art and architecture museum, a field museum of printing, a sculpture park and a scientific multidisciplinary center. And also many others. Axel Vervoordt, who created a district-wide art cluster on the site of a former brewery near Antwerp, says of his Kanaal: "This is a place where art, architecture and nature become one." Currently, Kanaal is home to offices, housing, a bakery, an ecologically clean food market, restaurants, workshops, and showrooms of the Axel Vervoordt company. However, art was initially the main ingredient of the entire mixed-use Kanaal, forming a kind of art reservation, where most of the treasures are hidden behind the thick walls of bunkers turned into galleries.

Art was originally the main ingredient of the entire mixed-use Kanaal, forming a kind of art reservation, where most of the treasures are hidden behind the thick walls of bunkers.

In contrast to salon, collector and projects focused on deep immersion in art, A-Station — a new pedestrian space in Kyiv — is as democratic as possible. This is a lively transit hub and at the same time a destination accessible to any citizen or guest, not just residents of co-working spaces and educational hubs. Earlier, we talked in detail about the architectural component of the project in the article "Yellow brick, black font. A-Station Precedent as a case of work with legacy", published in volume 33 of PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA. Since A-Station has a distinct character, formed by the architecture and history of the place, the integration of art objects into its body must be carried out strictly according to an individual plan.

One of the art installations in the courtyard of the Axel Vervoordt Gallery in Kanaal

The design and infrastructure of A-Station are implemented almost literally in accordance with the principles of placemaking formulated by William White, the founder of the Project for Public Spaces organization. Openness, availability of places to sit, retail, water, greenery, architectural magnets, design, attractive routes - all this turns a closed territory, which was recently cut off from the city, into a modern pub that became instantly popular. (Read more about placemaking in the article "A thousand and one street chairs. Secrets of living urban spaces» in the 17th volume of PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA).

Kateryna Rai, art critic, art curator of A-Station

Art objects reveal the potential of a place

"Public art objects are a tool that reveals the potential of a place, shows what this place and the city in general can be, how this territory can play differently. This is a very important aspect, and for me, as a curator, it has been the main topic of research for several years, - the art expert explains Kateryna Rai, which cooperates with A-Station as a curator. — From a purely transit zone, not very attractive for the townspeople, it has turned into a magnet, where many different people come to rest, study, meet, and work. This is a good example of how the territory can be transformed and acquire a second life."

The public spaces of A-Station are characterized by a laconic and restrained design code. Photo: Yury Ferendovych

In the summer of 2021, A-Station became the display for two roll-up interventions at once: Vasyl Hrublyak's light installation "Pulsar" "landed" on the lawn near the location's rotating logo, and "Otpechatok" by the artist NEZHINSKY was displayed in the lobby of "Osvitoria Hub".

All these are manifestations of the art program that Kateryna Rai proposed for the new capital location: "City center, historical zone. The founders (the company A Development — ed.) very successfully approached the transformation of this territory — very carefully, delicately. By integrating restaurants, food courts, and an entertainment function here, the administrators of this project thought about how to make this place a cultural cluster as well. That's what we agreed on."

Anna Polyakova, marketing director of the A Development company

Anna Polyakova, the marketing director of the A Development company, believes that art allows us to solve a number of problems at once: "It is important for us to enliven this space not only with festivals and fairs - very understandable and accessible events for the general public - it is important for us to carry out a cultural intervention attentive to the themes , who is used to staying here for a long time. It is temporary art objects that can activate this space step by step. And if we use the space as a display, periodically changing the objects, it will cause even greater interest in both the location and the events there."

"We do happenings, performances, we do a one-day performance. By the way, the "Print" by the artist NEZHINSKY, which was presented in the hall of the Osvitoria Hub, is a physical installation with immersive elements. We put projections on it, added two displays on which virtual reality was broadcast. And during this one day, new people appeared in the "Osvitoria" who usually did not come before. They came specifically to this event, and then became interested: "What's going on here?" That is, the integration of art objects into space is also the development of creative industries. If a person does not come for co-working, he will come for art, - Kateryna Rai is confident. — The educational aspect is also very important. A-Station has many operators who broadcast the values ​​of new, alternative education. And when art objects suddenly appear here, this is also art education. There are no modern art objects in public spaces in this area. A-Station partially compensates for this deficiency."

Dominate or obey?

A discussion question that inevitably arises in the process of selecting art objects for open urban spaces: should these objects obey the architecture and environment, or should their role be to occupy a dominant position?

Sergey Nezhinsky, artist. Photo: Roman Chygyrynets

Artist Sergey Nezhinsky (NEZHINSKY) believes that when creating an art object, it is useless to try to adapt to the space or, on the contrary, to contrast with it, since both the object and the place of its demonstration live their own lives: "Rhythms of culture can be compared to rhythms in physics. There is such an interesting phenomenon — the Huygens synchronization effect, when clock pendulums located on the same wall at some point synchronize by themselves. About the same thing happens in culture - the rhythms of the flow are involuntarily synchronized over time, coming to uniformity - and this is how I understand the phrase "post-information society". And from this moment on, the most striking event will be precisely the arrhythmia, desynchronization with the flow. I propose to call the method that uses the above-described arrhythmia as a means of expression "post-design".

Installation "Otchepotok" NEZHINSKY

That is, when talking about the adaptation of an art object to the environment, one must understand that this is primarily a question of the goal we are pursuing. It is a question of conception, because dissonance may well be—and often is—an instrument for the realization of certain tasks. However, such tasks are rather an exceptional phenomenon. Otherwise, it is good when a work of art is designed to structure the environment in its own image and likeness, while strengthening and revealing it. A real art object is an informational Adam, a carrier of some cultural genetics, a speculative designer, laying down images of the future."

Installation "Otchepotok" NEZHINSKY

According to Sergey, the installation "Otpechatok" due to its stylistic neutrality cannot conflict with the environment, but at the same time reveals it: "After all, A-Station, being part of the cultural and architectural imprint of our civilization, is, in fact, a real reference of my installation , her guarantor in objective reality".

Stanislav Demin, co-founder of the UrbanDesign studio

Stanislav Demin, co-founder of the UrbanDesign studio, believes that the A-Station architecture itself is so "strong" that it will overshadow all additions in any case: "If you evaluate A-Station in terms of visual perception, a certain system of memes, where a meme is a unit of cultural information, which is stored in our head and is connected to metadata in the form of our associations, then everything I saw there clearly corresponds to a European city. The brick, the format of the reconstruction, the space itself, the way of working with it — were associated with Western Europe. Plastic architecture, plus material, and, of course, intelligent work with facades — standardization of signs, facade elements. It's like if a picture was successfully framed. Work with the object itself — the Arsenal — is dominant, and everything else takes a back seat — both landscaping and art. If the city is perceived as a costume of society, then the very fact of the appearance of such locations indicates that our society has matured to a decent costume."

The uniform design code and seamless environment emphasize the high quality of the A-Station space, just as natural fabric and precise cut are the quality of an expensive suit. And yet, without accents included, the image will be incomplete, devoid of details necessary for personal representation. If public space is a costume, then what are art objects?

"I have a close analogy with accessories, because it is accessories that allow you to create a complete image," says Anna Polyakova. — Such art details bring new accents to the familiar, albeit very high-quality, image of the space. It is important for us to form a long-term request. Because even display expositions, spot actions still affect the formation of the audience of the space."

Vasyl Hrublyak's light installation "Pulsar" in the A-Station public space. Photo: Yury Ferendovych

"Art as decoration? Decoration can also be perceived differently. But an accessory in a good sense is the main accent that directs the viewer to the vector of perception of the person standing in front of you, - Kateryna Rai develops the analogy. - If we installed objects of some very commercial artists, or very salon-like, or a replica of some work of art - and it's generally like costume jewelry trying to pretend to be gold - we could be rightly reprimanded, they say, it's a bad tone. It is necessary to keep a balance: to intelligently emphasize the qualities of the space and to bring to it an element of intellectual visual art so subtly that the whole structure plays."

The art expert agrees that it is unrealistic to try to "shout over" the architecture of A-Station: "Any space in the city that did not primarily provide for the integration of art objects into the body of the project will somehow dominate, and also possibly argue with artob" objects Therefore, temporary objects are ideal for this type of site. They can even go against the aesthetics of the place. Yes, this is a very saturated space, characteristic, historical, which provides a trail of associations. Therefore, when we were thinking about which objects we could place, we decided that there is no need to include those that will definitely merge with this space and will be subordinated to it to the extent that they will hardly be visible.

The design code and seamless environment emphasize the high quality of the A-Station space, just as natural fabric and precise cut are the quality of an expensive suit.

But immersive exhibitions and projects are definitely appropriate. And light ones, such as the sculpture of Vasyl Hrublyak. Despite the fact that there is a lot of light on the location, we took a risk and installed "Pulsar" and we can see that it evokes positive emotions in the audience. And this is important, because installing an object in the city is not only work with space, it is also work with the audience. We thought that the Pulsar, like a star, some kind of cosmic body, would descend on the territory of A-Station, right on the lawn, and perhaps provoke the wonder: "What is this, and why is it here?" This is the idea."

Permanent or pop-up?

American art historian and philosopher Harold Rosenberg warned: "When art becomes a prolongation of everyday life, it is destroyed, turning into another commodity among others, kitsch." Objects in A-Station will be updated as soon as the curators fix the disappearance of the effect of novelty - but not too often, so as not to depreciate.

"It depends on the evolution of the project and on the audience. When we made the first interventions, it was important for us how people would react. How do they perceive this object, how long are they ready to "live" with it, explains Kateryna Rai. — When you integrate objects, you do it not for yourself, but for the public. I come here often and watch people's reactions. I see - they are comfortable. They can lie on the lawn next to each other, they can hang, touch the Pulsar. It is actually designed for such interactivity. Permanent residents also feel comfortable when this installation lives next to them. We thought about doing an integration once a month. Then they decided to make a little more backlash so that people get used to the object. At that moment, when you get used to something and it is taken away from you and given something new, it becomes very noticeable. If you change it once a month, regularly, people may not be able to evaluate this or that project."

Alexey Zolotarev's "Event Horizon" sculpture in the A-Station public space. Photo: Yury Ferendovych

In addition to curatorial interventions, A Development coordinates specific art manifestations from the residents. For example, operators of restaurants and co-working spaces are allowed to use identities and objects that do not contradict the leading design code on summer platforms. Alexey Zolotarev's sculpture "Horizon of Events", which recently appeared at the approach to the Kyiv Food Market, was installed together with the companies ARARAT and DFT Magazine, and symbolizes the fusion of tradition and modernity. It is also located on the territory of the public on a temporary basis and will be idle until spring, and then something new will appear in this place. Anna Polyakova explained: "The object will be in harmony with the philosophy of the place and take into account all the numerous requirements, including engineering restrictions and safety."

Objects in A-Station will be updated as soon as the curators fix the disappearance of the effect of novelty - but not too often, so as not to depreciate.

"Many visitors are the main asset of this space. But what is a person today? This is, for the most part, a social image that is created through interaction with locations and fixed through witnesses in social networks. This is what, in my opinion, a modern media artist should work with and what venues should focus on, - says Sergey Nezhinsky. — And here we are helped by modern technologies, through which it is possible to transform data about a person - his appearance, heart rhythms or even cerebral activity, and retransmit them, for example, in the form of generative graphics or some mechanical reaction. Simply put, A-Station would be suitable for installations with which you can interact, record this interaction on a phone camera and publish it on social networks."

Is conflict inevitable?

If design often causes heated disputes, then art is even more so. Arguments about the optimal place of public art in a modern city, in fact, continue the topic of the discussion that we opened earlier in the article "Take a photo! Why does Kyiv need selfie-architecture and public art» in the 12th volume of PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA. Modern art is not in the categories of "like it or not", but it is often perceived as a marker of the social status of space. And three-dimensional objects—sculpture, installation—focused on human readiness for new meanings have become an element of semi-enclosed, neoliberal spaces in Ukraine. The territory of a modern residential complex or the entrance group of a business center is the safest place for art objects. As soon as an installation or sculpture is placed in a square or a busy intersection, it becomes a target. However, like any improvement object, if it is perceived as an agent of gentrification.

Blue Carpet is a public space in Newcastle (UK), designed by Thomas Heatherwick. Photo: Ian Meeson

It would be fair to clarify that such an attitude is symptomatic not only for Kyiv and not only for sculptures. For example, even the famous Blue Carpet by Thomas Heatherwick in Newcastle, which was part of the improvement of the pedestrian area, systematically suffered from vandals. Skaters, riding on the boards, simply broke paving elements and sculptural benches. Trying to regain their space, representatives of excluded social groups often follow the simplest path of vandalism. And public art objects become the first victims, due to their vulnerability and triggering.

As soon as an installation or sculpture is placed in a square or a busy intersection, it becomes a target.

"You can't bet, it will be taken out the next day, broken, sawed down! - Kateryna Rai shares her experience. — I cooperate with the M17 institution, where we develop and research the impact of three-dimensional art on the development of the city. We have repeatedly encountered the fact that neither an institution, nor an artist, nor a donor who would like to present this work to the city can simply place an art object in the city. In our country, there are legal restrictions on the acceptance of this or that work, financial problems, technical issues. Where you can bet, where you can't, who owns this or that territory, who is the balance keeper. And a million more questions. A-Station has a lightness in this sense. They are responsible for this area—ready to store, provide power, a resource for installation—and this distinguishes them from other areas that could also become open spaces for art.

Blue Carpet is a public space in Newcastle (UK), designed by Thomas Heatherwick. Photo: Ian Meeson

We have listed many functions that art objects perform for public space: educational, revitalization, development of creative industries and, of course, promotion of artists. From the point of view of a modern artist, there are very few platforms in the capital of Ukraine where he could make a statement. Now I am not talking about institutions - that is separate. But in general, there is almost no such possibility to show art to people on the street."

The fairly aggressive reaction of society to public art is not just archetypal, but dictated in part by the fact that Kyiv is overflowing with visual detritus — flashy signs, tasteless obtrusive advertising, facades, mutilated superstructures, balconies, air-conditioning units.

Maksym Golovko, co-founder of the "Agents of Change" organization

Maksym Golovko, the co-founder of the "Agents of Change" organization believes that the city is overflowing with monuments: "In theory, art objects should increase the attractiveness of public spaces, but for this, everyone should understand their value. And now, in many Kyiv pubs, objects of incomprehensible quality are installed in an opaque and incomprehensible way.

The Merman Art installation, created by Andrey Krapyvchenko and the Merman team for Burning Man 2022, "pops up" for a short time in different locations in Kyiv. Photo: Maryna Nikolaieva / Unsplash

Only in the center of the city, sculptures stand on almost every square and they continue to be installed. Shevchenko Park - monument to Shevchenko. A monument to Hrushevsky is nearby on the pyatachka. Near the opera there is a monument to Lysenko, and on the facade of the opera there is a bust of Shevchenko. There is a monument to Yaroslav near the Golden Gate. On Sofia Square - Khmelnytskyi. On Mykhailo Square - Princess Olga. According to Mikhailovsky, to the arch-strategist Mikhail. On Vladimirskaya hill - Vladimir. On one Andreevsky slope alone, Prokopovna and Holokhwastova, Shevchenko, Yaroslav, Vertinsky, and recently Gogol were installed. On Pochtova Square - for small children. On Kontraktova — Sahaidachny and Skovorode. Not so long ago, a monument to Yaroslav's daughter was erected on Lvivskaya Street, but there are simply not many of them on Peizazhnaya Alley!

Anna Bondar, architect, People's Deputy of Ukraine

Anna Cooper, an architect and deputy, believes that the format of pop-up exhibitions, pop-up expositions is really optimal for Kyiv in this period: "Temporary installations are a good technique when applied to urban spaces. It is not resource-intensive and simple from an organizational point of view, since all stationary installations should, ideally, go through a city-wide or even international competition. Otherwise, the question will not be answered - why exactly is this sculpture, who chose it? Empty urban space is a great value. As soon as it appears, they immediately try to capture it. And delight in objects of art is still delight. We once counted the number of sculptures and monuments on the territory from the pedestal on Shevchenko Boulevard to the House of Officers — there are 96 of them. That's a lot. Moreover, they all carry different meanings, reflect different eras, and often contradict each other. Therefore, the idea of ​​pop-up exhibitions is extremely successful and can be implemented not only in A-Station. After 2014, there were already 5 installations near the same pedestal on the boulevard. It seems to me that VDNKh could also become a place where art interventions can be regularly held."

The monument to the founders of Kyiv — Kyiv, Shchek, Horiv and Lybeda by the artist Vladimir Zhuravlya, installed on the Postal Square of Kyiv. Photo: Maxim Sydorenko kiev-foto.info

The city always exists in a state of conflict of interests, especially its public spaces, and this is natural, explains Stanislav Demin: "We have different layers of the population, each of which uses the space in its own way and, due to its needs, requires different opportunities. For example, a motorist will be unhappy that trees have been planted if he has nowhere to park his car. A cyclist will swear that there is nowhere to ride a bicycle. But if you have made a parking lot for motorists and a bicycle path, then be prepared for dissatisfaction from the mother with a stroller, who will say that she does not feel safe because of the abundance of traffic. Or a grandmother who wants to feed the pigeons in silence, but here because of the children, all the pigeons fly away or because of the cars, she has nowhere to sit."

Against the background of all the pressing problems that are symptomatic of the urban environment of the Ukrainian capital, the conflict of artistic tastes would seem to be the lesser evil. But the ability to organize public space in such a way that, in addition to meeting the basic aesthetic, mobile and other needs, it also found a place for art manifestations that are friends not only with architecture, but also with residents and visitors — testifies to the highly professional, consolidated work of planners and art managers.

 

"The important work of architects and those who provide communications for the project is to gather a pool of users, determine their needs and provide opportunities, and so that they harmoniously complement, and do not contradict each other, do not create a conflict. The architect-planner works precisely to distribute opportunities for different groups on the territory, minimizing potential points of conflict. But this task cannot be solved within the framework of a limited territory, we need to look at the area here," Stanislav Demin assured.

The public is not a museum

Despite the public's controversial perception of current art, the fact that Kyiv needs a Museum of Modern Art is recognized by the KSHA. Director of the Department of Culture Yana Barynova at the hackathon "Premonition of a place. Where should the Museum of Modern Art be made?" told Kyiv journalists that today the city government faces the task of creating museum locations that will be friendly to any form of media. "Both classic paintings, sculptures, and installations, happenings, airbrushing, art interventions, hyperrealities, digital works, newsreels and much more, which creates the artistic palette of today and the art of the future," promises Barynova.

A-Station does not pretend to be an open-air museum. Public space lives and works according to different laws than institutions, explains Kateryna Rai: "First of all, a museum - even if it is the best dynamic museum - is an institution that provides for a permanent exhibition, as well as a certain logic for the collection of this exhibition, a certain configuration . Since the art objects in A-Station do not appear on a permanent basis, this already makes this site a display, but definitely not a museum. The territory of the public is not large enough to create something grandiose with 30 objects here - it is physically impossible, because there are elements of the infrastructure of those operators who "live" here. There are not many locations where you can install something large-format. This is a vivid example, I would say, one of the first in Kyiv, where the location is ready to accept art objects on its territory, providing all the necessary resources, including technical ones. And to do it on a temporary basis, changing these expositions, observing how people's attitude to the territory and to art develops."

The fairly aggressive reaction of society to public art is not just archetypal, but dictated in part by the fact that Kyiv is overflowing with visual detritus.

Anna Polyakova believes that the public-display format is the most effective: "Our cooperation with artists helps to bring art as close as possible to people. It is necessary to plan a visit to the museum — choose a time, get there. This already reduces the audience and the number of views. And it is much easier to introduce people to the works of modern artists in the public space. The messages transmitted by art are also simple at first glance. But behind this simplicity hides some incredible depth, in which everyone will see something of his own.

Let's count the advantages

To sum up, it is possible to list at least ten reasons for placing objects of modern art in public spaces:

  1. They enrich the visual environment, forming the character of streets and squares.
  2. This is an excellent tool for building social capital and encouraging civil discourse.
  3. The possibility of art manifestation contributes to the promotion of artists and the development of the creative environment.
  4. Placing art objects contributes to the development of the economy — restaurants, cafes, co-working spaces benefit if the territory is attractive to a large number of visitors.
  5. Investments in the development of the location, district and city as a whole bring reputational benefits to investors, stimulating further investment in public projects.
  6. Art forms a cultural heritage, connecting people with a common history, common emotions.
  7. Art stimulates the thirst for knowledge, provokes the mind and imagination.
  8. Art has a positive effect on the mood and, as a result, on the productivity of residents — employees of enterprises located at the location.
  9. Messages broadcast by means of art-manifestations draw people's attention to the current problems of society and suggest ways to solve them.
  10. Placing art objects in public places is the easiest way to provide people with maximum access to culture.

Is the city losing the competition?

A natural question arises - why does the city, possessing de facto monopoly rights to public spaces, not even try to compete with private capital in their development? A-Station can become another strong proof that only private management is effective in managing, including urban public spaces. It is possible that this circumstance provokes fears and wariness among opponents of creative gentrification.

Stanislav Demin: "There are quite a few reasons for such inaction. And the main one is the complete inability of the city to organize the process of managing territories, and especially public spaces. The city management process in Kyiv is not organized in principle — the General Plan has not been approved, the historical and architectural reference plan has been canceled, and there is no global planning. The population of Kyiv in 1951 was 300. man By 1991, the population had grown to 3 million, but despite a tenfold increase, the city did not face significant infrastructural difficulties, since, thanks to competent planning, it had a reserve of infrastructure. But for the next 30 years, we simply strung new volume houses on the same infrastructure. If the infrastructural reserve is not developed, it will be exhausted. It's the same with public spaces — if you don't take care of them, they degrade."

The A-Station public space also serves as a display for spot art interventions.

"Any cultural actions, including art interventions, can be implemented within the framework of city cultural programs. Mechanisms exist. But I understand why artists and curators have problems, says Anna Bondar. — Because everything related to the earth, even a temporary exposure, requires multi-stage coordination. First of all, this is a question of urban politics. The authorities must understand that this is important and necessary. But understanding is not enough. These policies must be announced and implemented in the form of documents. Otherwise, it's nothing."

A-Station does not pretend to be an open-air museum. Public space lives according to different laws than institutions.

However, not everything is so hopeless. Literally a few months ago, the KSHA remembered the cultural potential of the city's public spaces. New comprehensive target program "Capital culture: 2022-2024." assumes that in the conditions of quarantine restrictions, any art manifestation is preferably held in the open air.

"Public space is a 'collective product', in the creation of which representatives of different strata of the population, various occupations, and beliefs participate. Its important quality is the ability to promote the strengthening of social interaction and communication, as well as to create conditions for various forms of cultural expression in the real, not the virtual, world," — this is how the deputy of the Kyiv City Council Yevheniya Kuleba motivated the decision of the KSHA to reserve funds for the next three years in the budgets streets and squares of Kyiv, including as scenes for immersive exhibitions.

City managers could consider the case of A-Station as one of the successful examples of already implemented cultural transformation. Given that the art project at A-Station is conceived as a long-term one, public spaces throughout the district — both privately managed and communal — could develop in parallel and interdependently, as communicating vessels filled with creative energy.