Political Aesthetics and Public Space – Discussion

The current MA ACW class will be holding a roundtable/workshop on the topic of political aesthetics and public space this coming Friday at The Lab on Foley Street between 2 and 4pm. The purpose of this is to have a discussion in order to formulate a plan for an event on this topic to take place at a later stage in the year. Other interested parties are welcome to attend and participate also. Specifically we aim to try and address the following:

The Republic of Taste

Looking at spatial formulations of democracy, ideological landscapes and public commemorative art, the “aesthetic arm” of the state will be explored via a discussion of the following questions:

To what extent is commemorative art based on imagined consensus?
To what extent does the built environment operate in the service of the financial system?
What is the task of public art on those terms?

We aim to situate the discussion in the context of the 1916 centenary and the possibilities for commemorative public art that negotiates the tensions between revolution, public memory and the disavowal of violence.

In order to kick off proceedings we will also be going on the 1916 Rebellion Walking Tour in the morning. This starts at 11:30AM from the International Bar on Wicklow street. If you would like to come along on this as well then please let us know by emailing hmccabe at gmail.com so we can book you a place. The price for the walking tour is 10 euros.

Further information on the event can be found here.