VIRTUAL Barcelona

Abstract

Public spaces serve as communal domains accessible to all, fostering collective gatherings, diverse social interactions, recreational activities, and encounters with individuals outside our immediate circles. Previous studies have shown that facilitating opportunities for various user groups to engage in movement and interaction in urban environments holds significant importance (Biggs & Carr, 2015; Layne, 2009). Public space design should take into account creating opportunities for social, possibly intergenerational, encounters. Urban art installations are a hybridized form of urban design which can combine aesthetics of an artwork with rich functionality of playgrounds and benches, escaping the normative frameworks (Costall,1995) and combining different types of use instead of segregating them. Yet, there is not a lot of research conducted on the relationship between urban art installations and placemaking. Previous research has shown that installations which stimulate play and dynamic behavior for different actors influence placemaking positively (Afonso, 2017), but a comprehensive elaboration on the design of urban art installations from the aesthetics of interaction perspective is still missing. As part of my PhD research I am working on a project which aims to both consolidate existing knowledge and concepts, such as sociology of space, aesthetics of interaction or the concept of affordances; as well as create new insights to better understand and describe the role, effect and possible impact of urban art installations on social interactions in public space. This information is valuable for city authorities, urban planners, researchers, artists, architects, and designers. It aids in creating age-inclusive urban art installations that prioritize social interaction alongside visual aesthetics. During the presentation I would like to showcase various concepts, ideas, and models, as well as present the project plan and receive feedback on the project outline.