A Study On The Role Of Public Art In The Urban Landscape Of Pakistan

Due to rapid urbanization,it is utmost essential for cities to preserve their unique cultural identity,social characteristics,and historical background which can be achieved with the integration of the public art in their urban landscape.Public art incorporated with cultural and social attributes signifies the pressing interest of the people towards the important elements of a healthy society that benefits the nations,even in difficult social and economic times.Today,cities and their urban landscapes are complex because of their diversified usage,shared governance,a multiplicity of structures,and the rapidly growing population.Along with its increased practices,public art has become a subject of growing interest in recent years.It is comprised of two main notions,'Public' and 'Art.' Art in the urban landscape mainly exists for the sake of the Public while Public is the key component of the public art.This research study took both exploratory and innovative approaches in order to identify the role of art as well as the role of the public in the context of the urban landscape.Further,this dissertation is divided into seven chapters.The first chapter provides an overview and background of public art and describes that why public art is important for the urban landscape.Further,it describes the importance of the public art history which is the fundamental base for the public art research.Moreover,it describes the importance of public interaction with public art as the public is the critical component of public art.The second chapter demonstrates the theoretical framework to understand the concepts related to the role of public art in the urban landscape.Specifically,it discusses the public perceptions about the role of public art and further discussing the research gap existing in the field of public art.This research gap is revealing that there is very less interaction between the researcher and the public for the purpose to evaluate the role of public art,even though the public has a direct influence on public artworks.The third chapter discusses the issues and problems existing in the literature about the methodological consequences of the public art research.This chapter outline different sections starting with research planning and execution followed by the selection of the study area,sampling techniques,hypothetical bases for sampling,attributes of the study,data collection methods,empirical modeling and analysis of data.The current research used a data set of 450 respondents collected through face to face interviews from the three big cities of Pakistan namely Lahore,Islamabad,and Peshawar during September 2015 to July 2016.For statistical analysis,the data were collected,coded and imported into Microsoft Excel 2013.Labeling of each variable and value was performed,and the missing data were also noted for exclusion.The data were analyzed by using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis with graphical representations of descriptive statistics.Some data were also punched into computer software SPSS-20 for further analysis.The fourth chapter deals with the assessment of the existing public art in Pakistan through the site observations,the expert opinions and most importantly the existing literature about art,sculptures,monuments and other related public art in the country.The first part of this chapter comprising of the history and historical background of the public art of the study area,the pre-independence and post-independence history of public art in Pakistan,the government and private sectors initiatives towards public art,different types of public art and their purposes in the urban landscape,the truck art as indigenous and unique type of public art in Pakistan.The findings of this study revealed that Pakistan has a rich cultural background yet the role of public art is new and often used unintentionally.Furthermore,we have identified that the majority of public art programs(56%)were funded and constructed by the private/nonprofit sector,while the remaining(44%)were supported and funded by the public office of cultural affairs,local governments,federal government or some other operating departments.A vast variety of public art exists in Pakistan including national monuments,murals,sculptures,and public art with special themes of the social,cultural and religious aspects.Chapter five discusses the relationship of the role of public art in connection with its audience,and social valuations of public art as perceived by the local community.The findings of the survey highlighted that majority of the local community(56%)was not aware of the name and meaning of public art,however,understanding of individual about public art may vary and depends on the city's development,cultural background,and social limitations.The results further highlighted that the awareness level of the people towards public arts affecting by various internal factors includes age,education level,location,family income,and religion of the respondents and external factors,lack of attention of the government towards public art,the lack of financial support and the lack of public art administration in the government departments.The overall perceptions and attitude results show that(49%)of the total respondents perceived the role of public art as developing sense of place,(39%)respondents perceived public art as developing the sense of community,and the majority(65%)of the total respondents in the three selected cities reported public art as developing the sense of identity.Amongst the social valuations of the public art,the highest number of the respondents(75%)acknowledged that public art is widely used for the aesthetic and beautification purpose of the environment.Followed by(53%)of the respondents believed that some specific types of public art have the capacity by itself to educate a broad number of the audience and(46%)of the total survey respondents acknowledged the economic value of public art.About cultural preferences of public art,the sculptures and depiction of animated being are not considered good(26%)and debatable among the Pakistani societies.On the other hand,the cultural and historical monuments(85%)are highly appreciated and welcomed by the local community of Pakistan.The uniqueness of this study lies in its clear focus on the public shaping the role of public art in connection with its spaces and public demonstration.This study may create scope for future estimation and development of public art in Pakistan.This research will contribute to give a unique identity to Public Art in Pakistan.This research study with the objectives of assessment of the existing public art in the urban landscape of Pakistan,incorporated with public opinion will act as examining tool and resources made available for the local authorities which will provide a context of the recommendations for implementation of different art projects.