Some Thoughts on "Commissioning Quality"

Caoimh�n Mac Giolla L�ith

In accepting an invitation to chair the recent symposium on commissioning public art, entitled "Commissioning Quality", I found that this involved certain pleasures as well as problems I could not have initially foreseen. I agreed to facilitate a public debate between at least three distinct constituencies: those represented by the three organising bodies whose first joint venture this was, namely the Sculptors� Society of Ireland, the Architectural Association of Ireland and the Irish Landscape Institute -on the understanding that my role would be as a disinterested, but also relatively uninformed mediator. That is to say, someone curious about, but not intimately acquainted with the complex set of processes through which a wide variety of potential public art commissions may or may not eventually come to fruition. While I knew a lot more about the ins and outs of the whole business by the end of the evening, the few retrospective observations I would like to offer here, many weeks later, are of a considerably more general nature.

The symposium's principal unforeseen pleasure was a marked lack of any sense of deep-seated grievance by comparison with comparable debates I have attended or chaired in the past. (I recall, for example, chairing a Temple Bar Gallery debate on the role of the curator only a few years ago which quickly and irretrievable degenerated into a mass pillorying of one particular panel member, Declan McGonagle, then Director of IMMA). Occasional frustration? Yes. But grievance? Not really. This may be a sign of the times. It may also, however, be partly accounted for by a notable dearth of working artists in the audience, or at least among those who chose to speak on the night. An undeniable general feeling of openness, curiosity and goodwill seemed nonetheless to be leavened with a certain amount of puzzlement, if not misconceptions, across disciplines as to the role or potential of each of the professions represented in the debate. A notable case in point was one particular response to the several case studies of artistic/architectural/landscaping collaboration presented by the various panel members to kick-start the evening. This went something as follows: these projects are all very interesting and enjoyable, but what seems to be missing from all of them is any expression of artistic personality. From my own particular perspective as an art critic, this suggested the need for a greater general awareness of contemporary art's enormous potential as something other than a medium for individual expression.

The principal difficulty highlighted by the debate, at least to my mind, was more easily foreseen than remedied. This was, as ever, access to information, both specific and general. It was clear that the degree of specialisation and focus certain panellists and audience members required of themselves precluded their knowing much, and (in a very few cases) caring much, about the general or particular nature of those other disciplines with which they are occasionally required to interact, if not exactly collaborate. (This crucial distinction between interaction and genuine collaboration was more evident in some presentations and comments than others). A certain degree of frustration was also apparent among some panellists regarding the widespread ignorance here in Ireland of models of collaboration between the three disciplines, both theoretical and practical, already developed elsewhere. There already exist in Britain, for example, it was suggested, alternative models which might usefully be tried on for size, even if eventually rejected, in Ireland.

I will make no attempt here to outline any of these proposed alternatives. Neither will I attempt to recap in detail some very specific suggestions made from the floor as to hitherto untapped funding possibilities from the public purse. I would simply like to suggest that every attempt be made to ensure that as much of this type of information as possible be made readily available to all concerned in the future. In order to ensure the maintenance of this free flow of information the continuing co-operation of the three organisations who had the foresight to join forces in organising "Commissioning Quality" will of considerable importance.

Caoimh�n Mac Giolla L�ith is an art critic