This document summarizes a meeting of the Cardiff Civic Society discussing public art in Cardiff. It discusses the goals of public art programs, including humanizing cities, strengthening civic identity, stimulating local art, and bringing art to the public. The document outlines John Willett's past research on public art in Liverpool, which found that most monuments go unnoticed or are disliked, and that art must compete for attention. It then provides examples of public artworks in Cardiff and notes the city's efforts to catalog its collection. Goals for the future include better integration of art and its environments and involving local communities.

2. Cardiff Cymdeithas
Civic Ddinesig
Society Caerdydd
Welcome | Croeso
to Chapter
5 April 2011

4. Cardiff Cymdeithas
Civic Ddinesig
Society Caerdydd
Please
remember Thanks
to turn off Diolch
your
mobile

5. Welcome
Croeso

6. Seeing things: a
new series
@Chapter
Art for free
Cardiff’s Public Art Peter D Cox
founder director of Birmingham’s Ikon
a visual tour and Gallery, ran his own art gallery, art critic
debate for Birmingham Evening Mail and others,
has curated exhibition of public art and
by artists such as Richard Hamilton,
Yoko Ono, Peter Blake

7. starting in the past - 1968

8. John Willett’s research -
Liverpool

9. John Willett’s research -
Liverpool

10. John Willett’s research -
Liverpool

11. what he found then (as now?)

12. what he found then (as now?)
for Bluecoat Society of Arts 1965 a
wide ranging study not just about
pubic art

13. what he found then (as now?)
for Bluecoat Society of Arts 1965 a
wide ranging study not just about
pubic art
Art and society: over the past
hundred years or so these words
have become inseparables, till
today their coupling produces an
automatic yawn

14. what he found then (as now?)
for Bluecoat Society of Arts 1965 a
wide ranging study not just about
pubic art
Art and society: over the past
hundred years or so these words
have become inseparables, till
today their coupling produces an
automatic yawn

15. Goscombe John and others ...

16. Goscombe John and others ...
Monumental sculpture “either
ignored or actively resented. There
cannot be more than a tiny handful
of people in Liverpool who either
know or care who such statues are
by”

17. Goscombe John and others ...
Monumental sculpture “either
ignored or actively resented. There
cannot be more than a tiny handful
of people in Liverpool who either
know or care who such statues are
by”
99% of what passes by our eyes
has no conscious or organisation
tradition behind it

18. we even have a John Lewis

19. we even have a John Lewis
One of Epstein’s less successful
works, but the immediate focus of
the spectator’s attention on the
figure’s genitals has remained
distracting to the citizens, so that
the three smaller smaller but more
impressive panels underneath go
largely unobserved.

20. art, architecture, or urban design
it becomes hard to draw a line
between art in the strict sense and
civic and industrial design. The arts
are no longer segregated into a
gallery, to be looked at with
specially-conditioned eyes; often
they are stripped even of the largely
reverential aura that accompanies
their religious or educational use.

21. and ‘public’
opinion
There is a still a great gulf between
modern art and the public which is
ignored only at the cost of pain to all
concerned
It is all too easy to compromise on
excessively timid works which are just
as likely to discredit public art by boring
people until they no longer look at …
them .

22. Public Art in Cardiff: what’s it
for?

24. The Times 26 November 1889 “In theory we all acknowledge
that it is desirable to bring art home to the masses of the
people”

25. The Times 26 November 1889 “In theory we all acknowledge
that it is desirable to bring art home to the masses of the
people”
(Public art) become(s) woven into other activities, where they
may be noticed or not according to their merits - and the
observer’s visual alertness - and must harmonise or compete
with a thousand different sights, most of them man-made

26. The Times 26 November 1889 “In theory we all acknowledge
that it is desirable to bring art home to the masses of the
people”
(Public art) become(s) woven into other activities, where they
may be noticed or not according to their merits - and the
observer’s visual alertness - and must harmonise or compete
with a thousand different sights, most of them man-made
The difficulty facing public art .. is that when it is more or less
traditional in style, nobody will notice it, while when it is not it is
noticed all right, but is likely to be taken as a personal affront by
the public

28. There is a conscious feeling among leading councillors .. that it
would help the city in many ways if it could earn a reputation for
being visually more interesting and agreeable. This would … be
bound to have some influence on key members of its staff
(coming to the city) ….

29. There is a conscious feeling among leading councillors .. that it
would help the city in many ways if it could earn a reputation for
being visually more interesting and agreeable. This would … be
bound to have some influence on key members of its staff
(coming to the city) ….
Q .. what is it you are working for? For people to see it and to
respond to it. To recognise something in an abstract way.
David Smith, sculptor May 1965

30. Cardi
Public Art Register
S t r a t e g i c P l a n n i n g
Cardiff’s Public Art Register
and mapping tool

31. Cardi
Public Art Register
S t r a t e g i c P l a n n i n g
Cardiff’s Public Art Register
and mapping tool

32. 3 Ellipses for 3
Locks
Felice Varini 2007
Cardiff Bay Barrage
The artwork is an
anamorphic illusion
and can only be
viewed as three
complete circles
from a single
vantage point on
the Cardiff Bay
Barrage.

33. Animal Wall
Thomas Nicholls
1888
Alexander Carrick
1931
Castle Street
The Wall originally
consisted of nine
animals and was
located outside
Cardiff Castle. Six
new animals were
added when it was
moved to its current
location in the
1920’s.

34. Statue of Joyance
William Goscombe
John 1899
Thompson’s Park

35. All Hands
Brian Fell 2001
Custom House
Street
Located on the path
of the historic
Glamorganshire
Canal, ‘All Hands’
depicts the canal
workers pulling their
boats along with
heavy ropes.

36. Billy The Seal
David Petersen
1997
Victoria Park
Having been
rescued from the
nets of a fishing
boat operating out
of Cardiff Docks,
‘Billy’ the Seal lived
in Victoria Park Lake
from 1912 until his
death
in 1939.

37. Alliance
Jean-Bernard Metais
2009
Hayes Place
Referencing the
major role of the
sea in the city’s
economic history,
‘Alliance’s’ hoop
contains a visible
liquid that rises and
falls with the
movement of the
tide.

38. Skylon, Festival of
Britain
Architects: Powell &
Moya (1951)
Photograph: J.
Maltby (1951)
Source: RIBA British
Architectural Library
Photographs
Collection

39. Cader Idris
William Pye 1999
Wetlands Reserve,
Cardiff Bay
This sandstone
sculpture was
inspired by the
mountains, lakes
and valleys
of Wales and in
particular ‘Cader
Idris’ in Snowdonia.

40. Celtic Ring
Harvey Hood 1993
Roald Dahl Plass
The ring marks the
start of the 55 mile
Taff Trail between
Brecon an Cardiff.
It’s textured surface
contains maritime
details including
tidal charts
associated with
Cardiff’s Docks.

41. Merchant
Seafarer’s War
Memorial
Brian Fell (Mosaic
by Loiuse
Shenstone and
Adrian Butler) 1996
Harbour Drive,
Cardiff Bay
The sculpture
combines the hull of
a ship with the
shape of a timeless
face. It is a
memorial to the
Merchant Seamen
from South Wales
who served during
World War II.

42. Family Group
Robert Thomas
2005
Churchill Way

43. Miner
Girl
Mother and Son
Robert Thomas
2005
Queen Street
Gorsedd Gardens

44. People Like Us
John Clinch 1993
Tacoma Square,
Mermaid Quay
The sculpture
celebrates the
people who lived
and worked in
Cardiff docks during
the late 19th and
early 20th century.

45. Statue of Ivor
Novello
Peter Nicholas 2009
Roald Dahl Plass

46. Pigeon Wave
Martin Smith 2003
Central Station,
Central Square
Based on the
characters that
inhabit the building,
nine pigeons sit in a
row above the
railway stations
clock and rise and
flap their wings as a
small toy train runs
by.

47. Without Place
Sculptureworks
2011
Charles Street
Originally a busy
residential street
with bustling shops,
offices and a range
of trades and
services, Without
Place provides a
trace of Charles
Streets past cultural
history.

48. Three Obliques
(Walk In)
Barbara Hepworth
1968
Corbett Road

49. Barbara Hepworth

50. Wind Hedge
Assembly Field
Danny Lane 2006
The Senedd,
Harbour Drive
Although they
enclose The
Senedd, the five
parallel rows of
thirty-two vertical
glass elements echo
the design of the
building by being
both transparent
and permeable.

51. Wind Hedge
Assembly Field
Danny Lane 2006
The Senedd
a perfect marriage between art,
its environment and us as
participants

52. Furniture as art?

53. Sleeping Dragons
William Goscombe
John 1904
University of Wales,
Civic Centre

54. Delta Street
Seating
Andrew Rowe and
Simon Fenoulhet
2010
Delta Street

55. Palisade
Denys Short 1991
Waterfront Park,
Cardiff Bay
This polished
stainless steel
sculpture has the
practical purpose of
concealing and
protecting the
hydraulic equipment
for the nearby
Roath Basin lock
gates.

56. Public Art in Cardiff: what’s it
for?

57. Public Art Strategy
enhance the environment contributing to all aspects of urban
design
contribute to the character of an area - aid legibility
encourage inward investment
involve local people with artists to improve their environment
enrich the city’s cultural profile .. develop civic pride.. create a
distinctive ‘image’ for Cardiff

58. truly monumental

59. artist control?

60. location, location
Tyrebagger Circle,
Gavin Scobie, 2003
The structure of
wooden fences
arranged in three
concentric circles
each progressively
higher and denser
towards the centre,
invites visitors to
contemplate the
treetops and sky
above.

61. curation, conservation,
responsibility
Drift of the
Curlews
Sally Ann Matthews
2000
Havannah Street
The group of bronze
curlews are
located next to the
Cardiff Bay
Wetlands Reserve
and reflect the
abundance of
wildlife in the area.

62. So, what did John
Willetts suggest?

63. So, what did John
Willetts suggest?
Goals:

64. So, what did John
Willetts suggest?
Goals:
• to humanise and beautify the
reconstruction of the city

65. So, what did John
Willetts suggest?
Goals:
• to humanise and beautify the
reconstruction of the city
• to strengthen its own identity to its own
citizens and to outsiders

66. So, what did John
Willetts suggest?
Goals:
• to humanise and beautify the
reconstruction of the city
• to strengthen its own identity to its own
citizens and to outsiders
• to stimulate a distinctive (Cardiff) art

67. So, what did John
Willetts suggest?
Goals:
• to humanise and beautify the
reconstruction of the city
• to strengthen its own identity to its own
citizens and to outsiders
• to stimulate a distinctive (Cardiff) art
• to break down barriers which isolate art
and design as supposed inessentials

68. So, what did John
Willetts suggest?
Goals:
• to humanise and beautify the
reconstruction of the city
• to strengthen its own identity to its own
citizens and to outsiders
• to stimulate a distinctive (Cardiff) art
• to break down barriers which isolate art
and design as supposed inessentials
• create an exciting atmosphere for
persons and institutions concerned with
art

69. So, what did John
Willetts suggest?
Goals:
• to humanise and beautify the
reconstruction of the city
• to strengthen its own identity to its own
citizens and to outsiders
• to stimulate a distinctive (Cardiff) art
• to break down barriers which isolate art
and design as supposed inessentials
• create an exciting atmosphere for
persons and institutions concerned with
art

70. Questions
Discussion

71. ymdeithas
Cardiff C dinesig
Our work on the
Civic D aerdydd
Society C Local
Development Plan
Cardiff Civic Society is one of the few
organisations taking the strategic view
Plan of the city’s future for 2026
eve lopment
Card iff Local D Help by
26
2006-20 1
aper No
G re e n P hallenge
s ✦being informed
ey C
O ur Five K
ay, 16 Fe
bru ary 2011
✦contributing expertise
Wednesd
✦lobbying for our views
ociety.org
cardiffcivis
ct chair@
org Conta
ivicsociety.
w.cardiffc
http://ww
c Society
Cardiff Civi

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73. Thanks
Diolch