ETA_4.

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International Journal of Education through Art Volume 4 Number 2

Article. English language. doi: 10.1386/eta.4.2.195/1 © Intellect Ltd 2008

Escribir el Lugar: collaborative projects

in public spaces
Javier Abad Molina Autonomous University of Madrid
Alfredo Palacios Garrido University of Alcalá, Spain

Resumen Palabras clave

Este artículo presenta dos proyectos artísticos llevados a cabo en dos espacios arte público
públicos diferentes: las calles de una ciudad y las paredes exteriores de una escuela colaboración
infantil. En ambos proyectos se ha intervenido en esos espacios usando la poten- educación
cialidad visual y comunicativa del lenguaje escrito. La idea central en ambos casos sentido del lugar
ha sido la de dotar de significación a un espacio público, haciendo visible en el
mismo aspectos de la experiencia de los usuarios de ese espacio. Para ello hemos
desarrollado un trabajo colaborativo que en el caso de la ciudad ha implicado a
niños, ancianos e inmigrantes y en el caso de la escuela infantil a los niños de 3–4
años. Los dos proyectos han contribuido a facilitar la identificación con el lugar y a
transformar un paisaje para integrar aspectos de la identidad de sus habitantes.

Abstract Keywords
This essay reports on two collaborative projects we carried out in inner city public art
streets and an infant school. We transformed them by using the visual expressive collaboration
and communicative potential of writing. The central idea was to provide public education
spaces with meaning by revealing the experiences that arise from citizen interac- sense of place
tion with them. In the first project we benefited from sharing the perspectives of
children, elderly people and immigrants. Participants in the second project were
children aged 3 and 4 years old. Both projects awakened a sense of identity in
participants towards public places. The spaces were transformed and acquired
identity traits from their inhabitants.

Introduction
We share an interest in relationships between artworks, public spaces and
learning environments. Concepts such as public art, community art, envi-
ronmental design, collaborative and participatory processes define and shape
our professional backgrounds.
In 2006 we participated in a public art context promoted by the local author-
ity at Alcobendas. As a result we developed and implemented two projects that
offered us opportunities to work both as artists and educators. We gained a sig-
nificant amount of experience of collaborative work with different groups and
communities and developed ambitious plans to transform public spaces.
The projects took place in city streets and an infant school. These differ-
ences notwithstanding we learned that art is a key element in effecting social

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interventions designed to facilitate appropriation of public places (Remesar,

2000). It can be used as a vehicle for engaging people in collaborative inter-
ventions of the kind that transform a public space, thereby enabling them to
identify both with the work itself and sites where it is displayed.
The project designs were influenced by Lucy Lippard’s definition of public
art as ‘accessible art of any species that cares about, challenges, involves and
consults the audience for or with whom it is made, respecting the community
and the environment’ (Lippard, 1997, p. 264). We were keen to explore the
multicultural dimensions of space identification. With this in mind, we estab-
lished the principle that shared identifications must emerge from collaborative
work and during dialogue in which meanings were negotiated and agreed.

Dealing with diversity in public spaces

As previously stated, M2 was a public art project developed in May 2006 for the
Second Urban Art Contest in Alcobendas. Alcobendas is a city of 10,000
inhabitants located about 15 kilometres north of Madrid. The population has
increased significantly during the last decade, mainly due to the arrival of immi-
grants from South America and North Africa, and young couples from Madrid
seeking cheaper accommodation who settle in the outskirts. The local authority
has responded by setting up an urban development programme to facilitate the
integration of social groups and encourage active participation in city life.
The city council finances a public art contest each year and invites
artists to perform and display their artwork in the main streets. The exhibi-
tions are temporary and last one month. Artists select the sites and freely
define the work processes deemed necessary to fulfil their project aims. The
proposals are usually quite diverse.
The main aim of our project was to reveal how citizens operating in a
multicultural society live and experience their city. We wanted to bring these
multiple identities to light in the city’s buildings and spaces. The project
was conceived as collaborative since we wanted to incorporate a wide range
of visions. The population of Alcobendas is quite heterogeneous. So we
decided to work with representatives of the three largest groups: immi-
grants, children and elderly people. This guaranteed not only intercultural
but also intergenerational communication about public spaces.

The process
Establishing contact with the target groups was one of the main difficulties
we had to face. Luckily, the city council acted as mediator and facilitated
relations with immigrant associations, a centre for elderly people and a chil-
dren’s council. (The latter is a municipal organization where children meet
once a week to deal with inner city problems).
We organized group meetings with citizens using the following procedures.
First we showed them photographs of places in the city centre. Then we facili-
tated debate so as to elicit feelings, experiences and perceptions. We were
interested in individual experiences of concrete spaces like streets and squares
in the urban centre but wanted to grasp a global perception of the city also.
From these meetings we obtained three perceptions of the city that were
contradictory. However, there was widespread agreement that it was lively and
that the city council were concerned about citizens’ well-being. The immi-
grants felt welcome and appreciated the efforts to facilitate their integration.

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Figure 1: Figure 1 shows a work session held at a senior citizen centre. After carefully looking at the images,
participants shared their impressions about the city. They chose a place, route and image they considered
representative and finally, a word to define it.

Figure 2: Figure 2 shows members of the Council of Childhood of various ages

chosen by schoolmates. After looking at the images attentively and sharing their
thoughts about them, they figured out how they would describe their city to an
imaginary foreign friend who had never been there.

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We obtained both written and graphic material from the workshops. In

each case we asked participants to contribute words that conveyed and
reflected their ideas and experiences of Alcobendas as a city. The words
functioned as raw material for artworks that were located (visually) in corre-
sponding urban spaces.
We extended the concept of visual language in this project and redefined
urban art using simple visual words to arouse meaningful responses in passers-
by. This sort of artistic intervention has the effect of both violating and appropri-
ating the space concerned. Appreciating public art in this manner differs from
traditional approaches to contemplating sculpture or architecture. Simple visual
performances like this have the potential to effect well-integrated transforma-
tions of public spaces since the interventions go almost unnoticed by passers-
by, gently coexist with the architecture and show a ‘site specific’ character.
We value the visual potential of graphic representations and/or written
texts and build on the increasing emphasis on visuality in contemporary
culture. It is easy for people to make connections with alternative language
codes using references from design and the mass media. We wanted to
construct a text from fragments of urban language conveying messages
and meanings that would offer novel interpretations of the city.
To present the project to the rest of the community, we produced a pam-
phlet explaining the objectives as well as the process in detail and distrib-
uted it extensively in stores and bars.

Figure 3: Figure 3 shows the reverse side of the pamphlet explaining the interventions that included
some examples and their location on the city map.

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M2
Our first intervention consisted of marking the ground with words agreed
upon in the workshops (Figure 4). Marks were placed in different locations
around the city centre. Examples of words are ‘encounter’, ‘delay’, ‘dialogue’,
‘privacy’, ‘memories of my country’ and ‘game’. Some streets that elderly
people identified as community friendly because they provided spaces for
conversation and relaxation were ascribed opposite values by immigrants
who used the term ‘melancholy’ or referred to them as ‘labyrinths’. These
two groups experienced the same spaces quite differently and assigned
them opposite meanings and feelings. On the one hand they signified dia-
logue and a sense of community and on the other a labyrinth because they
lacked vital references to individuals’ countries of origin. Children tended to
relate to spaces in terms of their potential for play.
We gave a concrete dimension to people’s emotions and/or memories in
M2. We also demonstrated the ethical principle that public spaces ought not
to be reduced to commodities or divested of the symbolic wealth that citizens
ascribe to them. In this case, passers-by encountered signs as they walked
about absorbed in their daily routines. Inevitably the visual marks merely
sparked curiosity in some people whereas others physically interacted with
them (Figure 5). In the majority of instances, the people who encountered the

Figure 4: Each word was directly painted onto the ground using a template and
spray. Subsequently the space in M2 was framed and highlighted using a red-
and-white adhesive tape.

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Figure 5: Figure 5 shows a group of children improvising a ball game in an area

defined by the word ‘game’.

marks, words and meanings welcomed and discussed them. Basically the
effect was to encourage them to think about a specific experience, perhaps in
this particular urban place, thereby contributing to more diversified experi-
ences of other public spaces.
In a second intervention we situated words associated with global
images of the city on some steps leading up to the historical city centre. We
had agreed on the meanings we wanted to assign to this urban site with
participant groups in previous sessions. As is the case with any artwork,
these steps had multiple, open meanings. The words we displayed on the
various routes up them included ‘transformation’, ‘culture’, ‘noise’, ‘life’,
‘beauty’, ‘dirt’, ‘mixture’, ‘celebration’ and ‘games’. They offered passers-by
different characterizations of the city and constructed meanings in a shared
manner (Figures 6 and 7).

School sites: shared words

Some months later the idea of shared words was extended in an academic
setting. We were attracted by the potential of exterior spaces in schools
for engaging in public art. We anticipated an educational challenge
working in this context and an abundance of creativity if we let the
children design their own surroundings (Adams, 1990, 1992; Adams &
Ingham, 1998).
The aim of this project, called The School: A Space of Shared Words,
was to create a visual landscape shaped by very young learners’ first
attempts at writing. It took place at Zaleo nursery school in Madrid with
children aged 3 and 4 years old.

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Figure 6: Stairway with words.

Figure 7: Finished stairway.

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Figure 8: During assembly a teacher elicited significant words from the children related to their
experiences at school. Afterwards they spontaneously helped each other describe the drawing of
letters they were writing. One child said, ‘Look! The letter H has a stick in the middle.’

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Javier Abad had already worked as artist-in-residence at this school while

undertaking doctoral research. This intervention was an aesthetic project
that set out to communicate the central role art plays in general education.
The focus was on developing strategies that involve users as participants in
art-making and creating visual representations of their memories of and
identifications with a particular educational community. It was intended also
to result in a more caring, beautiful, friendly and open school environment.
We adopted a constructivist approach to acquisition of reading and writ-
ing skills for this project. The starting point was the natural desire children
have to communicate. During morning assembly the teacher encouraged
them to brainstorm objects, events or feelings associated with school. Then
the children talked freely about their own experiences. They also shared per-
sonal identifications with objects, facts or educational tasks that had taken
place at school throughout the academic year. The children were aged 3 and
4 years old. Words they used included ‘friend’, ‘swing’, ‘to paint’, ‘pictures’,
‘mirror’, ‘computer’, ‘experiment’, ‘toy’ or ‘peace’ (Figure 8).
In order to carry this out the children drew and interpreted the spelling of
a word the teacher had previously written down on a coloured background.
Whereas they did not know how to write very well, they could draw. They drew
the shapes of the words and, in so doing, contributed to their meanings and
modified them in their own way. We decided to maintain infantile spelling for
aesthetic effect; and so as to respect the diversity and spontaneity that is part
of the process of learning and creating written messages (see Figure 9).

Figure 9: A 4-year-old girl draws the word ‘wrist’ taking advantage of the
graphic possibilities for character construction while acquiring literacy skills.

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Figure 10: First installation of words on a school wall making it a shared space
of recognition and identity. The girl said, ‘This one is my word.’

Figure 11: Words written by children aged 2 to 6 years old installed on the front
door of the school. The first image shows the ‘before’ condition of the installa-
tion. The second one shows the ‘after’ condition.

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A set of words and spellings was finally displayed in the main entrance
to the school, both inside and outside (Figures 10 and 11). The school land-
scape was transformed this way into a written text. The children recognized
their own contributions and became aware of their involvement in the cre-
ation of an artwork. The words associated with the space communicated
their affective experiences of the school environment. Once again, words
functioned as a mechanism for appropriating space and transforming it
into a place to which people could relate emotionally, share experiences and
negotiate meanings.

Evaluation
We agree with Balkin (2007), that the manner in which public art is sup-
ported, organized and monitored significantly influences the creative process
and results. (Private and public funding effect different constraints and lead
to different kinds of outcomes.) From the work we did in Alcobendas we
learned about the constraints public, institutional funding places on projects
involving artist educators and also the opportunities.
It was difficult to contact the community groups afterwards for the pur-
poses of evaluation. Once they were engaged in daily life again we deemed
it inappropriate to interrupt. So we asked some individuals working with
the associations to provide feedback. Each group expressed satisfaction at
participating in the process of creating an artwork. A possible improvement
in future projects would be to ensure that there are more opportunities to
communicate with working groups at the end so as to achieve a more sub-
stantial evaluation. We received some individual feedback via electronic
mail; such as this message from Saida, a female immigrant from Morocco
who wrote: ‘It has been a brilliant experience. This project offered us a dif-
ferent way to live in the city and made us feel integrated and accepting and
respectful of other people.’
From the point of view of the urban landscape, we think we provided
functional city spaces with symbolic content and defined their visual iden-
tity in more meaningful ways. The city council requested that we repeat the
work using longer-lasting materials so that it will become a more perma-
nent part of the city’s public art collection.
The educational community welcomed the idea behind the school pro-
ject and decided to extend it at every educational level. The age of the chil-
dren involved is bound to determine this process to a certain extent.
Collaborating with older children will increase user participation and
empower us to agree the final design or disposition of a space with them.
In any case, exposing and exploiting the visual dimension of written lan-
guage within academic settings has become a significant dimension of our
artwork and commitment to recognizing and making visible community
belonging.

References
Adams, E. (1990), Learning through landscapes. Winchester: Learning Through
Landscapes Trust.
—— (1992), Making the playground. Stoke-on-Trent: Trentham Books.
Adams, E. and Ingham, S. (1998), Changing places: Children’s participation in environ-
mental planning. London: The Children’s Society.

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Balkin, P. (2007), ‘Intimidad: transformando el impulso por el arte público’. Exit

Book, 7, Arte Público, pp. 69–72.
Lippard, L. (1997). The lure of the local: Sense of place in a multicentered society. New
York: The New Press.
Remesar, A. (2000). ‘Waterfronts, arte público y ciudadanía’. En P. Brandao &
A. Remesar, A. (Coord.), Espacio público y la interdisciplinariedad. Lisboa: Centro
Portugués De Design.

Suggested citation
Molina, J. A. and Garrido, A. P. (2008), ‘Escribir el Lugar : collaborative projects in
public spaces’, International Journal of Education through Art 4: 2, pp. 195–206,
doi: 10.1386/eta.4.2.195/1

Contributor details
Javier Abad is a visual artist and art education lecturer at University College La Salle at
the Autonomous University of Madrid. He collaborates with the Yehudi Menuhin
Foundation in Spain and is a member of Enter-Arte, grupo de los Movimientos de
Renovación Pedagógica de Acción Educativa. He is also a member of the Organization
of Latin American States and of Equipo de Formación Regional de la Comunidad de
Madrid. At the present time he is completing a doctoral thesis investigating processes
of participation and inclusion and exploring relationships between the distribution of
academic space, symbolic games and relational aesthetics.
Contact: Javier Abad Molina, c/ Virtudes nº3, 2ºB, 28010 Madrid, Spain.
E-mail: j.abad@eulasalle.com

Alfredo Palacios has a Ph.D. degree in Fine Arts and a Masters degree in Aesthetics
and Theory of Art. Currently he works as a lecturer in art teacher education at
University College Cardenal Cisneros, Alcalá University, Madrid. For many years he
taught curriculum courses and workshops for primary and infant teachers focusing
on connecting art and education to school environments. His research centres on
the educational role of public art, heritage and architecture. At the present time, he
lectures on a doctoral course called ‘Art, Public Space and Collaborative Processes’
at Complutense University in Madrid. He edits the educational journal Pulso, http://
revistapulso.cardenalcisneros.es.
Contact: Alfredo Palacios Garrido, c/ Guatemala, nº1, esc. izq., 2º, pta.21, 28106
Madrid, Spain.
E-mail: alfrepg@yahoo.es

206 Javier Abad Molina and Alfredo Palacios Garrido