Can cities devise better mural policies? Should they intervene in the first place? Should public space remain unregulated for the sake of democracy and free speech? On November 17, 2019, a group of city officials and artists convened in an attempt to answer these questions. Our Planning Policy Lab at the Technion together with Israel’s Planners Association hosted this event which turned into an intimate exchange between policy makers and art enthusiasts.
Street art has become an emblem of contemporary urban landscapes. Specifically, murals shape and reshape their environment, reflecting and influencing the city’s social, political, cultural and aesthetic values. Some artworks are actively promoted by the establishment as part of different strategies, while others are promoted from ‘below’, expressing private or community identity, and inserting spontaneity into today’s heavily regulated urban landscape. Street art has gained popularity in Israel in recent years. Increasingly, local authorities are promoting street art festivals and commission artworks as means of urban branding and promoting urban regeneration. As a result, of late, questions about mural policies emerge: focusing on whether the city administration should take control over public spaces, or- alternatively- allow artists and communities to express themselves without imposing bureaucratic requirements. This symposium addressed these issues.
Speakers:
Opening remarks: Head of the Israel Planners Association Rachel Katoshavsky
Introduction: Challenges and contradictions in placing murals in the public realm – Eynat Mendelson Shwartz, PhD candidate, and a member of the Planning Policy Lab underlined prominent conflicts around the globe associated with the placement of mural art.
How to make a place from space? Ms. Nur Cohen, project manager of the ‘Talpiot project’, Eden – subsidiary of the Jerusalem Development Authority, told the audience about the city’s policy and mural program. Her talk focused on the challenges and the achievements of Talpiot mural project, at the heart of an industrial area in Jerusalem.
An inside view #1 – Ms. Murielle Cohen, Artist. After the fall of the Twin Towers on 9/11, Murielle began to experiment with documenting life. Her constant interaction with street life drew her attention closer to street art. Today, with whimsical bursts of colorful murals, she has painted numerous artworks in Tel Aviv.
An inside view #2 – Ruben Karapetyan, Artist. Mostly known as #TAG, is a creator, designer, and artist, who uses the medium of street art as means of engaging in dialogue with his audience and reflecting on modern living.
The municipality’s approach to street art in the public space – Yoav David, city architect of city of Tel Aviv-Yafo and Tzlilit Ben Nevat, the director of the municipal art department, responded to current challenges in managing spontaneity in the public domain.
