Public Art Matters Forum on Architecture

Ottawa, Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Today, with this 29^th forum, we begin our third Art Matters season, a season we would like to dedicate to the meeting of and dialogue between creative forces and the public. This public forum, held in conjunction with the presentation of the Governor General’s Medals in Architecture, is our first opportunity to examine—with the help of the hundred or so members of the public here with us—the relationship between architecture and society. First of all, I would like to congratulate the 2008 laureates, who have joined us for our discussion. I would also like to thank the staff of Carleton University’s Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism, and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada for their generous and unwavering support in organizing this forum. Thank you also to you, the public, for joining us to share your various experiences and points of view.

Societies face social, economic and environmental challenges to which no profession—including that of architecture—can remain indifferent. In our globalized world, we share these challenges with all of humanity. And it is the responsibility of every community and every individual to find and devise local, clever solutions to these challenges, challenges that are reshaping the places we live. Faced with these realities, tonight we will attempt to answer the question: how can we combine architecture and society to ensure sustainable and harmonious development? How can architecture continue to be a daily support in our lives, a place where we live as individuals and as a community, without endangering the balance of our ecosystems and the durability of our communities? What is architecture’s role in the public, in our lives?

Today’s architect must be critical, yet open, prepared to design his buildings in a spirit of collaboration and exchange. He himself works in an ecosystem composed of urban designers, workers, sponsors, environmentalists, artists, decision makers and end-users. The context in which he works is complex. And in addition to the physical constraints of the site on which he is working, in addition to his client’s needs and the budget within which he must work, the architect is also responsible for the impact his construction will have, and he must assess and justify the resources he uses. 

There will be a great many people judging his work, people who will refuse to be subordinated to the new constructions that are dotting the landscape. People are becoming increasingly aware of how the place in which they live is used and they do not hesitate to voice their opinions publicly when they feel they have been disregarded. They continually remind the architect that the multiple uses they will find for these buildings—whether these translate into the appropriation practices we call graffiti, parkour or artistic intervention—are just as important to our culture and imagination as any construction he envisions.

Architecture is also a study in esthetics and art: as seen not only in the history of architecture the world over, but in the works of this year’s laureates. Architecture is a source of pride: we see this in the buildings that house our civilization’s great cultural institutions, in the museums that attract just as many visitors for their appearance as for their collections. Architecture is a cultural icon: think of those historical buildings we restore to better celebrate years gone by and to mark their place in History. It has a symbolic value: reflected in the many spectacular buildings dedicated to consumption—whether they are restaurants, hotels or boutiques—they are designed so that the material experience is like a dream.

How then can the architect reflect these challenges and questions in his daily work? How do the students with us here tonight view their profession and its related social responsibilities?

What can the artists who represent buildings and use them to support their works—and I know some of them are here—what can they teach us about architecture? How do we qualify the contribution of the art that is integrated into the buildings, whether in terms of public policies (the “1%”) or private initiatives?

How can public and private spaces encourage the creation of sustainable and harmonious architecture?

Does architecture meet the needs of everyone in society?

We will examine these questions together during this public debate. Not only are there members of the public here with us in the room, there are many others following along on the Citizen Voices website, and they have already begun sending in their comments. Through our comments and thoughts on our relationship with the built environment, we will touch on the complexity of the constantly evolving relationship between architecture and society.