Art and public space. Between history and nature

The contribution it addresses the question of the role of artistic practices in the processes through which public space is constructed, an issue that has come to the fore as a result of the crisis of urban planning set in motion when art, moving away from the concept of monumental manifestations brought forth for celebratory purposes, began acting as a driving force behind initiatives, projecting new languages, new forms of communication and interaction between the work of art, the public and the context. Starting from the seventies, public art, which includes multiple modes and forms through which art can be represented and appreciated, has permeated the urban structure, the social fabric and the features of the landscape, becoming the driving force for actions designed to once again give marginal areas recognisable identities, in addition to reformulating the design of public spaces and defending and optimising the shared values that underlie identity, all with a marked vocation for education, culture, social affairs and inclusion. Within this context of reflection, two instances worthy of attention are the open-air museum of Fiumara d’Arte in Sicily and the Santa Barbara Work-Shop Museum Park (MuSaBa) in Calabria, both of which, despite the differences in their distinguishing features, take into consideration the experimental, incremental aspect of experiences, as well as the practices that arise from the same, formulating previously unexplored situations, or even structural, that restore a composite framework of relations between public spaces, as expressions of identity, cultural policies and practices of art and planning, all in the context of processes of urban and territorial regeneration.