How to marry art to public spaces Premium

The Ministry of Works and Housing mandates that one percent of the cost entailed in the construction of a public building be reserved for works of art. That is a precondition for approval of a public project. The artworks at Mumbai and Bengaluru airports reflect this rule, and they do blend into the landscape. However, hurdles have to be crossed to achieve this, from choosing a particular work of art to incorporating it seamlessly into a public space.

The Ministry of Works and Housing mandates that one percent of the cost entailed in the construction of a public building be reserved for works of art. That is a precondition for approval of a public project. The artworks at Mumbai and Bengaluru airports reflect this rule, and they do blend into the landscape. However, hurdles have to be crossed to achieve this, from choosing a particular work of art to incorporating it seamlessly into a public space.

Recently, at an event at Bangalore International Centre, global management and strategy consulting firm Zinnov released a guidance document “Integrating Art Into Public Spaces” to show how to deal with those hurdles. Prepared in collaboration with Yamini Telkar, former head of Art Programme at Bangalore International Airport Limited, this document is in the public domain.

The document is an attempt to establish a set of standards for high quality and accessible public spaces. It hopes to inspire like-minded corporates and individuals to adopt, implement and sustain projects in public spaces.

It is a handbook for identifying an appropriate art form for a public space, planning the budget, selecting artworks, navigating regulatory procedures and addressing the questions of maintenance and decommissioning.

Elaborating on the opportunity in this area, Pari Natarajan, CEO of Zinnov, said as per reports India was going to spend 1.72 trillion dollars in infrastructure projects in the next five years.

“If we were to consider 1-2% of public infrastructure being spent on art then we are looking at 17 to 34 billion dollars in art projects in India in the next five years. This is like the golden age of public art,” said Natarajan.

With demand for office space growing, there is opportunity in art as well.