City Spirits - the secret lives of public art

Art is everywhere. You don't need to go to a gallery to get your fill, you just have to walk down the street. Art in the public realm can easily recede into the background as we go about our commutes and errands, becoming mere stage dressing on the set of modern life. But public art has a life (or lives) of its own: statues mysteriously vanish and reappear in new locations; sculptures are re-shaped by the elements, acquiring new skins of moss and lichen; murals are repurposed as climbing walls, shrines or cigarette butt receptacles and public figures immortalised in bronze have their legacies re-examined in sometimes spectacular fashion.

Birmingham city centre has a rich offering of public art and on this walk we’ll explore some of the many ways it can be considered alive. Water, the ultimate life-source, has long been a symbol of civic pride in the city and its public art often reflects this. We’ll be experimenting with other ways that public art may be activated using water and we invite you to bring along a small, sealed receptacle of tap water for this purpose (jam jar or equivalent). We’ll also be asking what secrets may be contained in an obelisk, how a construction worker's dog became immortalised in stone, and we’ll be seeking pardon from a scorned goddess.

This event is part of Walkspace's Autumn Season.

PAY WHAT YOU FEEL. Walkspace doesn't receive any regular funding but it costs money and a great deal of time and effort to keep this show on the road. If you are in a position to please donate what you can, however no one will be denied a place due to lack of funds. Walkspace members may determine their own discount.