Administration to promote public art in Chandigarh — the City Beautiful

Under the policy that will soon become a reality, public art will be allowed to be showcased at public spaces, commercial belts, public utilities, urban interface areas and public transport

Artists from across the world will soon be allowed to showcase their works at public places in Chandigarh.

“Taking art as a tool to rejuvenate the city, the UT administration has come up with a public art policy, the draft of which is ready,” said Deepika Gandhi, director of Le Corbusier Centre and Chandigarh Architecture Museum.

Under the policy that will soon become a reality, public art will be allowed to be showcased at public spaces, commercial belts, public utilities, urban interface areas and public transport . These include public toilets, buses, roundabouts and road berms.

“The policy is not prohibitory in nature, but will encourage different artworks to beautify the city and set a procedure for the same. It will reflect the city’s heritage and improve the look and feel of public places. Tourism will also greatly benefit from an improved public environment through the enhancement of city buildings and spaces with quality works by professional artists,” said Gandhi.

Varied art forms

Digital and interactive public art, two-dimensional and three-dimensional artworks, landscape or horticulture will be part of the artworks to be installed across the city.

These will include murals, paintings and sculptures besides other art forms.

“The policy provides for temporary installations and permanent exhibitions. Temporary works will allow gauging the public response and test workability of an artwork at a particular location,” said Gandhi.

Two-stage approvals

Proposals for the installation of artworks will be approved by the Chandigarh Heritage and Conservation Committee (CHCC) in a two-stage process. “Initially a concept approval will be given, and thereafter, the proposal will be taken up by the CHCC in detail. The consideration will include the quality of the artwork proposed and its suitability to the proposed location. An expert will assist the CHCC in reaching a decision,” said Gandhi.

Proposals for public art to be covered under it can originate from a variety of sources, including individual artists, art organisations (such as Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi), private individuals or entities (such as resident welfare associations), departments or institutions under the administration and councillors.

“Special emphasis has been laid on the maintenance of the artwork after it has been installed. There have been instances when the artwork has been installed but it lost its impact in the absence of maintenance,” said Gandhi.

The policy has suggested that with the proposal for the execution of the artwork, the artist concerned shall also provide a manual for the maintenance and repair of its components with detailed specifications and methodology. At the time of establishment of the artwork, the agency responsible for the upkeep, maintenance and repair will be decided (engineering department, horticulture department, municipal corporation, etc) and necessary budgetary allocations will be obtained.