Greenwich Peninsula, one of London’s most important regeneration projects, is to be the setting for a thought provoking one day conference examining the role of the artist in ‘place making’. Bringing together a range of national contributors Artists Making Places will be held on Monday 10 November 2008, from 9:30am – 4:30pm at the Greenwich Yacht Club in London.

The event, organised by Art in the Public Realm Greenwich Peninsula and supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, English Partnerships and the Art on Greenwich Peninsula Client Group, will address social issues around place making, moving beyond the notion of physical or geographic place, to look at building communities and developing community cohesion. Speakers and participants will explore the role of artists in this process and the related practical, ethical and aesthetic considerations and responsibilities.

Confirmed speakers and contributors include: Alfredo Jaar (a New York based artist, architect and filmmaker), Declan McGonagle(Director National College of Art and Design, Dublin), Laurie Peake (Programme Director for Public Art at the Liverpool Biennial), Nick Ewbank (The Creative Foundation), Faisal Abdu’Allah (artist), Anna Hart (Archway Investigations and Responses, Byam Shaw School of Art at Central St Martins, University of the Arts London), Bob and Roberta Smith (artist), Vivienne Reiss and Bridget Sawyers (Art on Greenwich Peninsula). 

The conference is aimed at artists, public art commissioners and producers, local authority arts/community and regeneration officers, lecturers and researchers in HE/FE and students on related courses, and policy-makers working in regeneration, education and cultural sectors. 

A specially commissioned text by event chair Declan McGonagle will be circulated in advance to provide attendees with a starting point for discussions, while presentations, panel discussions, artist-led tours, film screenings, and performances will ensure the event is interactive as well as informative.

Philip Dibsdale, English Partnerships Area Director for South London Gateway said: “Art in the Public Realm Greenwich Peninsula is about engaging people in the regeneration process. Art in the public realm should be integral to regeneration and place making, not delivered as an add-on. Our vision for Greenwich Peninsula, and that of our partners, is to create a vibrant new development for London and the contribution that art can play in achieving this is vital.”

Vivienne Reiss and Bridget Sawyers, the Directors of Art in the Public Realm Greenwich Peninsula said:: "With this exciting event we have been able to bring together some leading creative thinkers and artists for what is intended to be thought-proving and inspirational day."

Tickets are available through the Barbican Box Office at a general admission price of £50 plus booking fee.  A limited number of 60 tickets will be available to artists and students at a discounted price of £12 and can only be purchased by phone.  Ticket prices also include lunch.    

For a detailed programme of the event or any further information, please visit www.artongreenwichpeninsula.com.

ENDS

Notes to editors

The Art on Greenwich Peninsula client group is headed up by national regeneration agency, English Partnerships, and includes representatives of Arts Council England, Greenwich Council and the peninsula’s two principle developers, Greenwich Peninsula Regeneration Limited (a joint venture between Lend Lease and Quintain Developments Plc) and Greenwich Millennium Village Ltd (a joint venture between Countryside Properties Plc and Taylor Wimpey Developments Ltd).  It was set up by English Partnerships to ensure that a collaborative, inclusive approach is adopted to the provision of art in the public realm across the peninsula in support of the area’s ongoing transformation into a well-connected, sustainable community.

What is art in the public realm?

Art in the public realm embraces a wide range of activities involving artists - from permanent site-specific sculpture and the shaping of our environment, to temporary installations or interventions that excite and challenge our perceptions of our environments. It can have a part to play in the regeneration of communities involving a process that encourages local people to embrace new ideas and skills, to develop a sense of ownership, and make decisions about their locality.

Artists working alongside other professionals and designers can contribute their conceptual and practical skills to the creation of buildings, structures and public spaces.  They bring an extra dimension of thought, research, sensibility and understanding to the design of public places and the way people experience them.

Art in the public realm can encompass sculpture, installation, painting, craft, applied arts, design, film and video, sound art, digital art, new media, urban design, architecture, street art, community arts, socially engaged arts practice, process based art and temporary arts events, including festivals and public screenings.

English Partnerships is the government’s national regeneration agency. Our aim is to deliver high quality, sustainable growth in England.

The agency is overseeing the regeneration of Greenwich peninsula and has invested over £225m in the last ten years.

English Partnerships and the Housing Corporation are working with the Department for Communities and Local Government to establish the new Homes and Communities Agency.

www.englishpartnerships.co.uk

Arts Council England works to get more art to more people in more places. They develop and promote the arts across England, acting as an independent body at arm’s length from government.  Between 2006 and 2008, they will invest £1.1 billion of public money from government and the National Lottery in supporting the arts.  This is the bedrock of support for the arts in England. They believe that the arts have the power to change lives and communities, and to create opportunities for people throughout the country.  For 2006 to 2008, they have six priorities: taking part in the arts, children and young people, the creative economy, vibrant communities, internationalism and celebrating diversity.

www.artscouncil.org.uk

Greenwich Council is the local authority responsible for providing a diverse range of public services to residents and businesses in the inner London borough including refuse collections, social housing and education services. It covers an area of more than 5,000 hectares stretching from Deptford in the west to Thamesmead in the east and Eltham in the South to Woolwich in the north and serves a population of approximately 226,600 people. There are currently more than 100 different languages spoken in the borough, and it’s estimated that about 25 per cent of the Borough’s population are from ethnic groups other than white. The Council's ongoing aim is to make Greenwich the place to live, work, learn and visit.

Greenwich Millennium Village Limited is a joint venture development by Countryside Properties plc and Taylor Wimpey Developments Ltd in association with English Partnerships.

Countryside Properties Plc is a leader in property development, the creation of sustainable communities and urban regeneration.  The Group is widely recognised as a responsible developer which is totally committed to sustainable development.  The Company, which was incorporated in 1958, is owned jointly by the Cherry family and Bank of Scotland which is providing the Group with significant funding.  

Taylor Wimpey Developments Ltd is a part of Taylor Wimpey plc, listed on the London Stock Exchange and the UK’s largest homebuilder.  Through its homebuilding brands George Wimpey, Bryant Homes and G2, Taylor Wimpey provides nationwide coverage in the UK, building one bedroom apartments and starter homes up to large detached family houses.  As well as operating in the UK, Taylor Wimpey plc builds homes in North America, Spain and Gibraltar. 

Greenwich Peninsula Regeneration Ltd

The £5 billion regeneration of 190 acres of Greenwich Peninsula led by Lend Lease and Quintain Estates and Development PLC working with English Partnerships, will create a thriving new riverside community for London over the next 15 years.

10,000 new homes in distinct residential neighbourhoods

24,000 permanent jobs

Peninsula Central - a new business district for London 

150 new shops and restaurants

1.6 miles of river frontage; the distance between Waterloo and London Bridge

48 acres of open spaces and parks; the size of Green Park

Extensive new community and leisure facilities

The O2 entertainment destination delivered and operated by AEG Europe

Excellent transport links, situated in zone 2 on the jubilee line

Aspiration for the highest environmental standards for new buildings

Lend Lease, listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, is a leading real estate specialist which creates and manages real estates assets around the world.  In the UK its business is focussed primarily in the delivery of large scale mixed use schemes which lead to the regeneration of major urban sites.

Quintain Estates and Development PLC is a leading property investment and development company specialising in strategic property acquisition, redevelopment, asset management and regeneration across the UK.  Quintain operates through three businesses- fund management, property investment and urban regeneration.