Open Functionality: Sculptural Practices in Contemporary Urban Space

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24310/umatica.2025.v8i8.21798

Keywords:

Public art, urban space, expanded sculpture, open functionality, citizen appropriation

Abstract

In the contemporary context, the presence of art in public space has evolved from symbolic or monumental models toward practices that enable new forms of use, encounter, and citizen appropriation. This article analyzes the concept of “open functionality” as a critical category to rethink how certain contemporary sculptures in urban environments activate non-prescribed possibilities of use. Through a critical bibliographic review and a comparative analysis of five recent case studies —works by Llobet & Pons, Jeppe Hein, Basurama, and Tercerunquinto— a progressive reading is proposed of how the functional dimension of the artistic object can open up to participatory, sensitive, and collective experiences. The article does not aim to establish a normative model but rather to offer tools to think about public art as an affective infrastructure, as a stage for new ways of inhabiting the city through everyday and sensitive practices.

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References

Ardenne, P. (2002). Un arte contextual: Creación artística en medio urbano, en situación, de intervención, de participación. CENDEAC.

Arnaiz Gómez, A., Elorriaga, J., Laka Antxustegi, X., & Moreno, J. (1998). Escultura pública: Tensión entre lo simbólico y lo funcional. En J. Roy Dolcet (Ed.), Presències en l’espai públic contemporani (pp. 85–102). Universitat de Barcelona.

Bishop, C. (2012). Artificial Hells: Participatory Art and the Politics of Spectatorship. Verso.

Bourriaud, N. (2006). Estética relacional (J. Rovira, Trad.). Ediciones Metales Pesados.

Fernández Pons, L. (2022). Juego, comunidad y contexto: Escultura pública con un uso social lúdico (Tesis doctoral, Universitat de Barcelona).

Fernández Pons, L., & Llobet Sarria, J. (2022). Kiezplatten. Umática. Revista sobre Creación y Análisis de la Cultura Visual, 6, 153–170. https://revistas.uma.es/index.php/umatica/article/view/16930

Gehl, J. (2006). La humanización del espacio urbano: La vida social entre los edificios (1.ª ed.). Editorial Reverté.

Klinenberg, E. (2020). Palacios del pueblo: Cómo la infraestructura social puede ayudar a combatir la desigualdad, la polarización y el colapso de la vida cívica (M. Sánchez Vaqué, Trad.). Capitán Swing.

Krauss, R. (1996). La escultura en el campo expandido. En La originalidad de la vanguardia y otros mitos modernos (pp. 289–303). Alianza Editorial.

Kwon, M. (2002). One Place After Another: Site-Specific Art and Locational Identity. MIT Press.

Vivas Ziarrusta, I. (2005). Entre la escultura y el mobiliario urbano: Del monumento hacia la escultura y sus derivaciones como mobiliario en el espacio público urbano. El caso de Bilbao [Tesis doctoral, Universidad del País Vasco].

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Published

2025-12-10

How to Cite

Muñecas, C. (2025). Open Functionality: Sculptural Practices in Contemporary Urban Space. UMÁTICA. Journal on Image Creation and Analysis, 8(8). https://doi.org/10.24310/umatica.2025.v8i8.21798

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 8 (2025)

Section

Articles (RESEARCH AREA)

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Copyright (c) 2025 Carlos Muñecas

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