University of Gothenburg
Studenter på studiebesök av LTH-fontänen 2019
Studenter på studiebesök av LTH-fontänen 2019
Photo: Maddie Leach
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Failed public artworks generate engagement

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HDK-Valand - Academy of Art and Design

At the end of September, the research project "The Fountain: An art-technological-social drama" invites you to a symposium at the Museum of Sketches in Lund. In connection with the symposium, we asked Maddie Leach, the project leader, some questions about the research project.

Could you briefly describe what the research project "The Fountain" is about? 
– The overarching aim of our research is to investigate whether "failed" public artworks can be revitalized and reimagined. Our aim is to provide an innovative model that has relevance for producers, owners, and managers of public artworks, but also holds significance for those who live and work in the communities and contexts where these objects have been located, says Maddie Leach. 

What is the connection between the research project and the LTH Fountain in Lund? 
– A significant part of the research has focused on the LTH Fountain, which has also given the project its name. The failures that have occurred around the LTH Fountain are not necessarily unique. However, it is uncommon for a public artwork to have survived for more than fifty years as an unrealized project. We thought this offered an interesting situation that invited discussion about cultural heritage, sustainability, duration, and change in the design of public spaces and their artworks. 

Why is this symposium being held? 
– The symposium is a crucial part of advancing the research project, and it helps generate discussion by offering examples of other public artworks around the world that share something with our own research. There are four keynote speakers and 12 different case study presentations. The symposium is free and open to the public, and everyone is welcome to participate. In addition to the symposium, the research will also result in a book that will serve as a public account of the project. 

The symposium is held at the Skissernas Museum (Museum of artistic process and public art). What is the museum's connection to the project? 
– The connection with Skissernas Museum was established early in the project as the museum holds a significant archive for the LTH Fountain. The museum, which houses the world's largest collection of sketches and preparatory work for public art, is part of Lund University and provides the venue for the symposium. Two former museum directors of Skissernas Museum; Jan Torsten Ahlstrand (1938–2020) and Patrick Amsellem, who is now the director of the Swedish Public Art Agency, have also contributed to the research project.  
 
The deadline to register for the symposium Fountains Failures Futures: The afterlives of public art is September 20. 
Read more and sign up here
 

The Fountain: An art-technological-social drama  

Projektet initierades genom ett forskningsanslag från Formas, ett statligt forskningsråd för hållbar utveckling. Anslagets titel var "Gestaltad livsmiljö - arkitektur, form, design, konst och kulturarv i den offentliga miljön". Maddie Leach var en av tre forskare knutna till HDK-Valand som fick FORMAS-bidrag, som delades ut till totalt tio forskare. Projektet inleddes 2021 och är planerat att pågå till 2025. 

Forskargrupp: 
Förutom Maddie Leach består forskargruppen av professor Mick Wilson och Cathryn Klasto, båda anställda vid HDK-Valand, samt Lars-Henrik Ståhl, som arbetar som professor på Arkitekturskolan vid Lunds tekniska högskola (LTH). 

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