Good Art in Good Architecture

In conjunction with the exhibitions 'Good Art in Good Architecture' and 'Art is Good', debates and symposiums were held on the collaboration between artists and architects, organized by KRO Västmanland and SAR-MSA Västerås.

The objective was to inspire increased collaboration between the professional groups and to spark debate about the reasons why artists' expertise is utilized to such a small extent in housing construction.

The exhibitions and symposium were made possible thanks to generous contributions from Västerås kommuns kultur- och fritidsförvaltning, The Swedish Arts Council, and Sekretariatet för Konstens vecka.

In a publication to which a number of artists had been invited to formulate their views on the matter, Sivert Lindblom wrote the following contribution (from an interview with Peder Alton, KRO-Konstnären 4/85):

The relationship between art and architecture is not a relationship between decoration and function. It is a relationship between two ways of shaping space — one (architecture) primarily functional, the other (sculpture) primarily perceptual.

Good art in good architecture arises when these two perspectives meet in a way that strengthens both. The worst thing that can happen is for art to be treated as ornamentation, as a furnishing addition at the end of the construction process.

The artist must be involved early — preferably in the programming phase, not in the interior design phase. The place is shaped by the artwork as much as the artwork is shaped by the place.

My experiences from Blasieholmstorg, Stockholms universitet (Frescati), and Västra skogen T-banestation confirm this: the successful projects are those where dialogue has occurred early and continuously.

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