Temporality and Temporariness

Following the propositions put forth by Patricia C. Phillips, temporality can be understood not merely as a criticism of the idea of permanent public art, but rather as a call for or endorsement of alternatives especially suited to the idea of cyclical public events like PAM. The temporary allows art production to follow the model of, in her words, the “research laboratory,” reorienting art making around ongoing or incomplete processes with more modest goals and a greater attention to the contemporary condition. Temporality shifts value away from form and virtuosity and toward content and ideas; it encourages greater flexibility and criticality in both the production of and curation of public art.[1]

[1] Patricia C. Phillips, Temporality and Public Art, in: Art Journal 48, Heft 4 (Winter 1989), S. 331–335.