Latitude - 54 degrees N

Stephen Sharp: Public Art Survey - Hull, 2008.

Artist Stephen Sharp and I are collaborating on a project for Hull's Latitude Festival: an exhibition of publicly sited art throughout the city of Hull (28 November - 14 December, 2008.)
We first identified some artistic synchronicity in our practices in February, when we were both exhibiting art works within the public realm in Stoke-on-Trent city centre which were the result of public consultations exploring the impact of art on public space. Stephen's work was generated through a public vote, displayed on a billboard where the public could respond to the statement: Public Art regenerates local economy by voting in a phone poll; the results were shown on a billboard. My work was generated through public consultations outside of recently appropriated art spaces, that had been disused retail space in Stoke-on-Trent and Bristol, the work asked the public questions to ascertain the impact that the new use of the buildings might have on the public passing by. Click here for details from earlier blog.
"Our project for Latitude is to place ballet boxes in locations around Hull, responding to the festival itself and asking people to vote on a question about public art and its effect on the surrounding area. People will be vote via a ballot paper. After a period of 10 days the votes will be counted and the results will be presented on two different limited edition posters, designed by each of the artists for people to pick up and take away.

The project will explore ideas around the use of the term 'public art' and 'public space' as well as contesting and redefining issues surrounding site, place, and location.

People will be able to check out the voting and results on the Public Art Survey blog."

I think the process of collaborating on a project with another artist will offer new avenues for investigation, in particular the idea that each of us will make a response to the city of Hull (which neither of us have visited before) each designing a different poster by which to disseminate the results of our poll will be very interesting. The people of Hull will be told that there are 2 ltd. edition posters, and may be encouraged to cross the city in order to get their hands on the other one.

We will visit Hull on November 29th - so more details then...