Art in the Public Realm

UNBOXED, in partnership with the British Council, is hosting a second international delegation bringing together people who programme interdisciplinary, socially engaged art in public spaces.

They are visiting several UNBOXED commissions from 1-7 September, including PoliNations, a major public realm intervention in Birmingham, featuring giant architectural trees and more than 6,000 plants. Presented as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival, PoliNations has transformed the historic Victoria Square into a city centre oasis hosting a variety of colourful events and activities, all free to attend.

Other UNBOXED projects the delegates are visiting include StoryTrails, SEE MONSTER, and GALWAD.

The delegation is looking at diverse participatory processes and models of civic engagement from cultures around the globe. Programme themes include producing interdisciplinary work at scale; fostering creative ecosystems in civic spaces; technology; identity and art in the public realm; community engagement; and placemaking.

This is the second international delegation organised with the British Council. The first included a visit to UNBOXED activity during the Edinburgh International Festival.

"With several UNBOXED projects taking place between August and September, it’s the perfect time to bring together arts professionals and cultural leaders from around the world. Each visit provides a timely forum to reflect on different ideas and ways of working, collaboration and the role of creativity in finding solutions to problems. These visits also build on the support that the British Council has provided for UNBOXED teams to develop international partnerships that we hope will continue long after our programme has finished." - Martin Green CBE, Chief Creative Officer for UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK

UNBOXED Festival Delegation

Art in the Public Realm:

• Lim Jian Yi (Daniel) is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Think City is an urban regeneration and impact organisation founded ten years ago.
• Jadwiga Charzynska is based in Gdańsk, Poland. Jadwiga was appointed director of the LAZNIA Centre for Contemporary Art in 2004.
• Phuong Nguyen is based in Hanoi, Vietnam. Phuong is the vice director at Think Playgrounds, a pioneer social enterprise focusing on developing creative, ecological, and sustainable public spaces in urban areas.
• Paul Tam is based in Hong Kong, China. Since 2020 March, Paul has led the Performing Arts Division (PA) as Executive Director at the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority.
• Nindyani (Nin Djani) is based in Jakarta, Indonesia. Nindyani is the Curator of Education and Public Programs at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara (Museum MACAN).
• Anastasia Galimova is based in Uzbekistan. She is a researcher currently specialising in poetry and working at the interdisciplinary art festival MOC FEST.
• Godwin Constantine is based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Theertha International Artists Collective.
• Gideon Obarzanek is based in Melbourne, Australia. Gideon is the Co-Artistic Director and Chief Executive of RISING.
• Saima Zaidi is based in Karachi, Pakistan. Saima is a textile designer, educator and artist at Numaish Karachi - an award-winning, interdisciplinary collective.
• Omar Nagati is based in Cairo, Egypt. Omar is the co-founder of CLUSTER - an independent urban design and research platform based in Cairo, founded in 2011.
• Dominika Kluszczyk is based in Wrocław, Poland. She is a producer and lecturer, affiliated with the WRO Art Center co-creator of the IP Studio.
• Faisal Kiwewa is based in Kampala, Uganda. He is the Artistic Director of Bayimba Foundation - a multiple-branched organisation that focuses on uplifting arts and culture in Uganda through cultural exchange and creativity.