Potential affordances of public art in public parks: Central Park and the High Line

Abstract

Public art is an artistic expression created in streets, squares and other public spaces, including parks. Using the two popular public parks in the New York City, Central Park and the High Line, this paper explores the affordances offered by public art in these two urban environments, with a focus on physical, intellectual and emotional connections between the visitor, the artwork and the landscape setting. Using affordance theory as a framework, it considers the design of the landscape as a behaviour setting that affords viewing, acknowledgement and reflection of the artwork within the contemporary cultural context. Using preliminary qualitative observations of six artworks within the two parks, this research suggests that public art has the potential to afford such diverse opportunities for public park visitors. In order for these affordances to be actualised, the design of the park and the artwork's intentions should be coordinated to ensure that the experiences of the visitor align with the claimed benefits of public art.

Children’s interactions with public space: Observing children’s experienced affordances in a housing estate in Brno, Czechia

“…It was also recognised that, while encompass the entire spectrum of children's activities in Lesná, this does not imply that affordances which were not observed are not present in the public space, as it was stated before. Although, the study focused on the physical affordances of the environment, there are plenty of other affordances that need more examination, such as social (Kyttä 2003), emotional, or intellectual ones (Cushing and Pennings 2017). Only a small insight into how another person (caretaker) could provide possible respectively activity affordances to the child was provided.…”

“…Artistic features are becoming omnipresent as well as becoming more accessible to physical interaction. Children´s contact with statues is documented in the work of Cushing and Pennings (2017) as they provide a considerable range of physical and non-physical affordances and attract their activities. To put this in the wider context of creating the public space, van Andel (1990) has suggested that place preference is related to the function and its affordances.…”

“…However, possible differences in gender were not reflected at all, as suggested later by others (Kyttä 2002). Moreover, this taxonomy is predominantly focused on the physical affordances of children in public spaces, while there are other affordances, such as social (Chaudhury et al 2019), emotional, and intellectual, illuminating further perceptions of public space by children (Cushing and Pennings 2017). In the context of perception and action, Kyttä (2002) distinguishes different levels of affordances: potential, perceived, utilised (independent interaction) and shaped (stimulated interaction) affordances.…”

“…Affordances appear suitable for capturing interactions between a child's body and its environment. In recent years, there have been many studies examining affordances in various spaces (Aradi et al 2016, Cushing and Pennings, 2017, Lerstrup and van den Bosch 2017and Kyttä et al 2018. Current research on public space and affordances is often concentrated on urban areas in Western Europe.…”

Impact of Sculptures in Landscape Design: Case of Greater Iqbal Park, Lahore

“…People value the time they spend in city parks, whether playing basketball, having a picnic, or more. Along with these expected leisure amenities, parks can also provide measurable health benefits, from direct contact with nature and a cleaner environment to opportunities for physical activity and social interaction (Cushing and Pennings, 2017;Woudstra and Fieldhouse, 2000).…”