Potential affordances of public art in public parks: Central Park and the High Line

Public art is an artistic expression created in streets, squares and other public spaces, including parks. Using the two popular public parks in the New York City, Central Park and the High Line, this paper explores the affordances offered by public art in these two urban environments, with a focus...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers. Urban design and planning 2017-12, Vol.170 (6), p.245-257
Main Authors: Cushing, Debra Flanders, Pennings, Mark
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Parks
Parks & recreation areas
Public art
Public spaces
Urban environments
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Summary:Public art is an artistic expression created in streets, squares and other public spaces, including parks. Using the two popular public parks in the New York City, Central Park and the High Line, this paper explores the affordances offered by public art in these two urban environments, with a focus on physical, intellectual and emotional connections between the visitor, the artwork and the landscape setting. Using affordance theory as a framework, it considers the design of the landscape as a behaviour setting that affords viewing, acknowledgement and reflection of the artwork within the contemporary cultural context. Using preliminary qualitative observations of six artworks within the two parks, this research suggests that public art has the potential to afford such diverse opportunities for public park visitors. In order for these affordances to be actualised, the design of the park and the artwork's intentions should be coordinated to ensure that the experiences of the visitor align with the claimed benefits of public art.
ISSN:1755-0793
1755-0807
DOI:10.1680/jurdp.16.00042