Axe Majeur, Dani Karavan, Cergy Pontoise / Photothèque de la Communauté d'agglomération de...

On the 19th and 20th of May 2011, in celebration of the United Nations World Day for Cultural Diversity, Dialogue and Development, the World Heritage Centre of UNESCO and the Community of Cergy-Pontoise will organize a two day, international conference in Paris bringing together renowned architects and artists such as Otto Piene, Daniel Buren, Dani Karavan, Rem Koolhaas, Peter Eisenman as well as key decision-makers to discuss the issue of Public Art and its future.
The term public art officially refers to works of art  that have been planned and executed with the specific intention of being present in the public domain, accessible to all whether this be outdoors, or indoors. Public art seeks to enrich a community by providing a unique encounter with art in public space.
As public art is often a permanent addition to an urban landscape, many questions come up:  who is responsible for funding the work; who is responsible for its protection and preservation and how close is the choice of works and artists specific cultural political agendas?
A partner in this event, Cergy- Pontoise is now considered a pioneer in innovative city planning, with its “Axe majeur”, a monumental path way created by the israeli artist Dani Karavan that began in 1980. An urban environmental sculpture of 3 km long, the "Axe majeur" is probably one of the largest environmental site specific sculpture in the world to be created over a span of 30 years. It connects the long Paris axis from the Louvre to La Défense through the Île des Impressionistes in Chatou and the forest of Saint-Germain-en-Laye integrating the urban with the natural environment. The Community of Cergy-Pontoise is recognized for the amount of space it dedicates to art on its territory and this is why the town has been selected to host the future National Center for Heritage Conservation in 2015.
In parallel to the symposium Galerie Jaeger Bucher will be hosting the book signing of La Saga de l’Axe Majeur, Dani Karavan à Cergy Pontoise by Claude MOLLARD published by Beaux-Arts Editions, in the presence of both the artist and the author, on Saturday May 21st between 4 and 6pm, in the Parisian district of the Marais.
The detailed programme and registration information for the symposium can be found on the website: www.colloqueartpublic.com
Please note that all participants of the symposium are required to register.

Published 16.05.2011