Arts in Urban Space 2012-2014

The arts organization Urbane Kunste Ruhr was founded in 2012 in connection with the European Capital of Culture RUHR.2010. It works with artists, academics, researchers, networks, art institutions, and the people of the Ruhr to develop projects and reenvision art in public space as a process of multifaceted urban design. The book presents a comprehensive overview of the 26 projects that were implemented or launched over the past three years and profiles the more than 200 contributing artists and partners. After a brief introduction to the Ruhr and some of its most recent and ongoing instances of urban transformation, the bulk of the book is dedicated to the issues and themes of Urbane Kunste Ruhr: urban infrastructures, art as an engine of urban revitalization, participation, the significance of temporary interventions, art and research, and art and sustainability. Taking an international perspective, the essays resituate the Ruhr, the city as such, and the possibilities of art in public space. With contributions by Katja Assmann, Melanie Bono, Dirk E. Haas, Florian Heilmeyer, Kito Nedo, Christa Reicher, Christoph Schenker, Friederike Wappler, Vanessa Weber, and Gesa Ziemer.