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This strategy is the result of considerable consultation with transport Whilst it is driven by the best international artistic practice, community
operators, regulators, planners, artists and communities. The central ideas engagement and local ownership is at the heart of the strategy. The
emerging from this process and tested at a forum held in Manchester in programme will build capacity in the community to commission, and in
July 2009. The overwhelming view was one of support for the ideas in some cases, make the art itself.
the strategy plus the promise of on going support and participation.
Collective thinking will be a driving force when implementing the strategy. The plan is to create a linear series of artworks along a bus, train or tram
route. It will be an annual 365 day Route Festival. At the end of the year
‘Transported’ is the Arts Strategy for GMPTE. It is a bold and innovative the festival will rotate to another route so that within 5 years all local
strategy that disrupts existing notions of ‘public art’ and creates a authorities will have been involved.
platform to all art forms to connect, communicate, collaborate and
innovate across the region. Transported is the working title for the Passengers and Communities
strategy. It combines the roles of public transport which transports us The artworks will be partly curated by the community with the help of
physically and art which transports us metaphorically - to another place. professionals. Guest curators will also be selecting different strands of
the scheme. Operators and partners will work together to develop these
The Public Transport system is ‘the great connector’ and the ideal vehicle themes with the artists.
to bring the arts to the people and people to the arts.
Implementation
To take this Strategy and make it happen will require a 6-month
development period. During this time a number of tasks need to be
undertaken. These include: Partnership Development; Community
Consultation; Curator and Artist Competition, Interactive on-line hub;
Route Selection; Funding Development and detailed 3 year Delivery Plan.
Public Art now can mean anything from the great icons, such as The
Angel of the North, to school railings designed by pupils.
Over the last thirty years there has been a growing desire on the part of
commissioners to include the public in a consultation process which can
include voting on the best proposals from a shortlist to a full engagement
of the community in a participatory process. They believe that through
this involvement they will achieve for the local community a sense of
This Strategy suggests that a new approach to public ownership which will help them to cherish the work and thus secure its
longevity both physically and artistically.
art is required and that GMPTE can be pioneers in
this.
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This process, though earnest, is fundamentally flawed and frequently
results in the lowest common denominator of what the work may have
been.
There may be one exception to this failure rate. The Dream, created by
Spanish artist Jaume Plensa in St Helens. Recently unveiled to great
acclaim even this has problems. The Highways Authority has not allowed
its light effects to be used in case it distracts drivers. The Dream was one
of nine projects commissioned as part of the Channel 4 Big Art Project.
Only two of these have been realised which once again highlights the
problems facing large iconic art. We believe that The Dream may well be
the last large-scale £1m plus artwork to be commissioned for some time.
Nelson’s Column was seen as a great triumph for public art in its time, but it
often goes unnoticed today. In the near ground The Fourth Plinth points to a
different approach to public art with its changing exhibits.
The reasons for engaging communities are sound and not in question. It
is the methods that are at fault. The confusion occurs somewhere
“The end of the line” (A brief encounter)
between the funding body, commissioner, artist and the community itself.
In the worst case the artist engages the community in providing either
the imagery or worse, actual drawings as typified by the laser cut steel For example, Network Rail’s commission “The End of the Line (A Brief
fencing incorporating drawings by local children. Here the participants Encounter)” transformed Piccadilly station for a day with specially
have not really engaged with the final piece and although for a while commissioned music from The RNCM performed by 200 musicians in
there maybe some satisfaction in the contribution, it is only token the station. The musical installation was about the anonymity of travel and
involvement. all those relationships that begin and end in railway stations. The piece
The Strategy gives GMPTE a Vision and working plan to deliver arts
projects throughout 10 local authorities over a 5 then 10 year period.
This project aims to connect communities along a linear bus, train and/or A number of Themes should be developed by the Steering Group but
tram route and to trail blaze the Route Festival at other strategic sites these could include:
connected to major capital projects elsewhere on the network.
The White Room | Transported Art Strategy | 25 of 38
• Innovation
• Digital Technology The current extension to the Metrolink could also be included for
• Music consideration. A map of the current and proposed routes are shown at
• Movement Appendix V.
• People
• Place The Process - first 6 months
• Time GMPTE and Arts Council will be approached to fund a 6 month
• Identity development period for the 1 year Pilot to be primed and initiated.
The rationale for and interpretation of these themes could also be During this time specialist consultants would act as Advocates for the
subject of competition from curators and artists. project across GMPTE, the GMITA (ITA) and Local Authorities, City wide
and regional authorities, Arts funding and support organisations. They also
There needs to be an online hub for the communication and delivery of need to develop a funding and business plan, consult and consolidate
much of this work. This could work with existing GMPTE sites such as par tnerships between operators, GMPTE, passenger groups,
PLINGS or Ding Ding or indeed with the main GMPTE site itself. Further communities, cultural organisations and artists.
work needs to be undertaken to scope these options.
They will need to consolidate the governance structure including
Route Options recruiting senior members of the ITA, PTE, Arts Council, and Local
The Programme needs to engage passengers and residents in a range of Authorities onto the Steering Group (See below). This group will act as
communities along the way. The routes meander from sedate affluent advocates for the strategy and custodians of the vision ensuring strategic
suburb to inner city urban mettle and finally the city centre itself. Those buy-in across a range of stakeholders.
communities will have different wants and needs, different demographics
different opportunities and challenges. They also need to put together the Executive Group to be in charge of
day-to-day delivery of the project. This group would support the Project
The 59, which travels through 5 local authorities, is a possible first route. Managers and Curator in their tasks particularly around technical issues,
The route take 90 minutes to travel the full length starting in the city communication and and community engagement.
centre, out through Cheetham Hill, Crumpsall, Middleton, Mills Hill,
Chadderton, Oldham, Heyside, Shaw and Rushcroft. The route can be The Project Managers need to secure funding for the year one pilot and
viewed at Appendix III and online at http://gmptearts.tumblr.com/. recruit one or more Curators for the route. They then, in turn would be
responsible for recruitment of artists and the artists responsible for the
Another option would be the 22 route which travels from Stockport, engagement with communities.
through Heaton Moor and Heaton Norris, Burnage, Chorlton, Stretford,
Urmston, The Trafford Centre, Eccles, Monton, Swinton, Pendlebury, Project Managers need to be embedded within GMPTE to help build
Farnworth and on to Bolton. The route can be viewed at Appendix IV. capacity, support and added value for the organisation and its partners.
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The Art Strategy Governance Diagram
ITA,
Other tasks will include: Fund Raising, Capacity Building across GMPTE
and Partners; Partnership Management; Competitions; Online and
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PR and Marketing Platform for Art in London has a core budget of £500k per annum
The Implementation of the programme will have significant impact upon supported by a ‘substantial annual grant’ from the Arts Council
the numbers of passengers and quality of experience on the chosen depending upon the project.
route. There will be considerable positive marketing and PR
opportunities and the delivery of this strategy should be central to the Birmingham Metro has a annual Budget of circa £500k per annum.
PR and Marketing Functions of GMPTE both internally and externally. Newcastle has a budget of circa £300K annually.