Lecture no 8 // The City as a Stage

The Meaning and Evolution of Public Space—this was the topic of the The City as a Stage discussion on September 15, 2017 at the O&O Depot. What has public space been in the past and what is it today? Do we still need public space, and why? What does it look like and what are its qualities? What requirements does public space need to fulfil and how do people use it? What role do the visual arts play and how important is art to public space? How do artists influence the city and urban life? What is it possible for art in public space to achieve in the 21st century? These questions and more were discussed by Isa Melsheimer (artist), Prof. Friedrich von Borries (architectural theorist), Prof. Andreas Denk (architectural theorist), Andreas Grosz (cultural manager, head of the KAP Forum), and Christian Heuchel (O&O Baukunst partner). The Sculptress of Sound artist trio then presented an audio-performative spatial installation, a fragile tonal architecture comprised of layered sounds and rhythms.