We’ve teamed up with our creative partners Artichoke to deliver a series of debates to talk about nature and use of public space

How we use our public space is fiercely contested, while the space itself is being increasingly privatised via the back door. Be it public art, sporting events, political demonstrations, the right to take a photograph, or simply sitting on the grass, these collective interventions are controlled and regulated. While some events are given carte blanche to close the streets, others are put under pressure to relocate into parks and gardens, or simply not permitted to take place at all. The Sky Arts Artichoke Salons put the cat on the table – what is the nature and use of public space?

Gardens of England – Sky Arts Artichoke Salon in Eden Project, Cornwall
To book your tickets, please visit Eden Project website >> 
When land owners turn to public festivals, art installations and large-scale events as a way of making a profit, are they creating a blot on the landscape, or simply providing a necessary lifeline for our rural populations?

In the third and final debate of the Sky Arts Artichoke Salon Series, Tim Marlow chairs another thought provoking discussion around the nature and use of public space, this time in our countryside regions. Following two sell-out events, the first in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall and the second in Liverpool’s Williamson Tunnels Heritage Centre, The Gardens of England is the final debate in the thought-provoking series and will take place in the inspiring surroundings of the Eden Project in Cornwall, on Friday 12th November.

In this Question Time-style debate, panellists including Bill Mitchell, Art Director of Wildworks, sculptor Peter Randall-Page, and Juliet Ros-Kelly, Company Director for EcoAction Paternership will be joined by curator and writer Tim Marlow as chair, who will guide the discussion around the subject of how our rural space may be re-imagined, reinterpreted and transformed. Audience members are invited to take part by submitting their own questions on booking their tickets. Members of the panel will respond to these direct questions, examining the effects of taking over natural environments for temporary celebrations and whether the pros of uniting cultural communities and raising the profile of local economies really outweigh the cons of the environmental and social impact on rural settings.

City Limits - Sky Arts Artichoke Salon at Tate Liverpool
In the wake of Liverpool’s reign as European Capital of Culture in 2008 and as the 6th Liverpool Biennial’s International exhibition, the second leg of our Salon series explores the impact of art on a city.

The event is chaired by curator and broadcaster Tim Marlow who will invite the audience to quiz a provocative panel of commentators. Can a city still produce events of the kind seen in Liverpool during 2008, particularly in the times of economic recession?

Sky Arts Artichoke Salon at Tate Modern, London
Over 500 people perched on cushions in the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall as a panel chaired by Tim Marlow discussed whether ‘public art is any more than an excuse for second rate sculptors and failed performers to clutter up our streets and disrupt the traffic’. Speakers on the panel were Ruth Mackenzie, Director of Cultural Olympiad, British artist Marc Quinn, Janet Street-Porter, former police commissioner Sir Ian Blair and Dr. Augustus Casely-Hayford, former Executive Director of Arts Strategy at Arts Council.

The event focussed on the politics of the public domain: who controls our public space, and who decides what is appropriate, or not. Artichoke’s work was central to the debate. From The Sultan’s Elephant to Antony Gormley’s One & Other in Trafalgar Square, Artichoke’s projects positively aim to disrupt daily life, and challenge the generally-held consensus that our cities are primarily for commerce and traffic, rather than for communal activities and fun.

The panel of opinionated speakers saw Ruth MacKenzie having to defend Anish Kapoor’s Olympic tower as Janet Street-Porter fumed at the cost and suggested the money should have instead been given to a whole generation of school kids so that they could get to see exhibitions for free instead.


Watch the event online
If you missed the event - don’t worry, as you can watch it online at artichoke.uk.com.