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Public Space And Public Art

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While we often move through different spaces in society continuously, many individuals do not necessarily regard the importance of these urban spaces within their daily lives. It is important to consider the definition of public space in order to further explore certain activities that take place within this sphere. According to Mehta (2014), a definition of public space that focuses on the access and use of space, defines this space as “publicly accessible places where people go for group or individual activities” (p. 54). Thus, these are spaces that contain a variety of different uses and for the purpose of this paper one particular use that explores public space in an alternative way is public art festivals. Public art has been a large …show more content…

The Nuit Blanche 2017 focuses around the theme Many Possible Futures which allows for further exploration of the challenges and crisis’ within Canadas history and day to day. As a result, this event encourages individuals to explore the everyday spaces of the city and offers numerous possibilities on how the cities spaces can be used. This paper wishes to put forth the idea that Nuit Blanche is used as means of enhancing awareness of social issues into the public sphere through the use of transforming everyday spaces with art. This begins by recognizing that Nuit Blanche allows individuals to revisit the ways in which spaces are used in the city. In addition, the festival helps individuals regain an understanding of public space through the various messages being communicated. Lastly, it promotes the development and growth of social life within the public sphere.
In order to achieve a critical investigation of the Nuit Blanche festival one particular zone of interest is the art exhibits located around Queens Park and University of Toronto. Queens Park on Wellesly Street, is a public park in the downtown area of Toronto open to residents as well as visitors of the area. The park was created between 1886 and 1892 as a legislative building for the province of Ontario

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