B.
The Burnside Biennale of Contemporary Art
Behind the scenes
What I fear along with many is that we're seeing the emergence of a so-called 'donut city', where all the social and commercial energy has been spun out to the malls and industrial parks on the edges. And you know where most of our existing public art would end up in a donut city? It would end up 'in the hole' – stuck in an empty centre.
A donut, with hole (partially obscured)
But maybe the problem of the empty centre should actually be seen as a prompt. Maybe artists should do as many others have done and seek spaces further out. Maybe the proving ground for public art henceforth is not the centre but the suburbs. 'The Burnside Biennial of Contemporary Art' doesn't have quite the right ring to it. But how about 'SCAPE New Brighton', with the empty shops and downtrodden mall reclaimed as an arcade for art? Or 'Prospect Woolston'? Or 'The Linwood Triennial'? Or for that matter (just dreaming here) a big-ass steel spider by Louise Bourgeois on the roof of The Palms shopping mall? Or a Jeff Koons retrospective in the parks and reserves of Northwood?
With those last two I admit there are a few (ahem) funding challenges, but otherwise I'm sold...