Public Art and Civic Engagement
London, 10-13 July 2025
Workshop promoted by City Space Architecture
in partnership with Ove Arup Foundation
in collaboration with London Metropolitan University and The Line
In an era where cities face increasing social fragmentation and civic disengagement, this intensive four-day laboratory offers a groundbreaking approach to understanding how public art can rebuild community connections and democratic participation, exploring the relationship between public art, public programming and engagement. Featuring a range of activities and visits to relevant collections, exhibitions, and institutions, this programme explores new initiatives in creative practice.
With London as our backdrop, we examine how art can engage new audiences, inspire innovative programming models, and connect with the city in imaginative ways. London’s position as a global capital of both cultural innovation and democratic experimentation makes it an ideal laboratory for exploring the civic potential of public art. From the city’s pioneering approach to cultural planning to its diverse communities creating new forms of creative expression, London offers unparalleled opportunities to witness and participate in the future of urban cultural democracy.
This workshop is not merely an educational experience but a contribution to the growing global movement recognising art’s essential role in building more inclusive, engaging, and resilient cities.
The program combines theoretical frameworks with hands-on exploration, positioning London as both classroom and case study for contemporary urban cultural practice.
This workshop uniquely bridges the gap between academic research, professional practice, and community engagement through partnerships spanning architecture, design, engineering excellence, higher education, and grassroots arts organisations. In the aftermath of global lockdowns, understanding how art can reactivate public spaces and rebuild social trust has become more urgent than ever. This program directly engages with strategies for cultural recovery and resilience.
PROFESSIONAL IMPACT: Participants will develop practical skills in community engagement, cultural programming, and participatory design while building a network of international practitioners working at the intersection of arts, urbanism, and civic life. The program is particularly valuable for:
- Urban planners seeking community engagement strategies
- Artists developing socially engaged practices
- Cultural programmers working in public contexts
- Policy makers interested in creative placemaking
- Educators developing civic engagement curricula
- Community organisers incorporating arts-based approaches
INSTRUCTORS
Luisa Bravo, City Space Architecture
Dr Luisa Bravo is a public space scholar and passionate activist, cultural entrepreneur and academic. After completing her PhD (2008), she has taught, researched and lectured in Europe, the United States, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. She is an Adjunct Professor in Urban Design at the University of Florence and has over 20 years of experience in the professional field. As the Founder of City Space Architecture, she organised and curated conferences, seminars, workshops, and exhibitions internationally aimed at promoting public space culture. Under her leadership, City Space Architecture became a partner of UN-Habitat, was engaged in the General Assembly of Partners (GAP), Research and Academia Partner Constituent Group and became a Member of the Davos Baukultur Alliance of the World Economic Forum.
Luisa holds a strong record of academic publications in Italian, English, Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese. She has been the recipient of grants and awards and served as a keynote speaker for major international conferences in more than 30 countries. She has actively participated in key United Nations summits, such as the Habitat III conference (Quito, 2016), the World Urban Forum (Kuala Lumpur, 2018; Abu Dhabi, 2020; Katowice, 2022; Cairo, 2024) the first UN-Habitat Assembly (Nairobi, 2019) and two High-Level Meetings at the UN headquarters in New York (2017, 2022).
Luisa initiated and is currently leading several public space projects, such as: The Journal of Public Space, the first, interdisciplinary, academic, open access journal entirely dedicated to public space; the Public Space Academy, the first, free, interdisciplinary educational program on public space; Museo Spazio Pubblico (Public Space Museum), a collaborative and transdisciplinary practice on public space; the web-magazine Mastering Public Space, an online resource with a curated collection of news on public space from influential and reliable sources.
Follow Luisa on LinkedIn and read more about her work on her website.
Jacek Ludwig Scarso, London Metropolitan University
Dr Jacek Ludwig Scarso is Reader in Art & Performance (AAD), Course Leader of the MA Public Art & Performative Practices, Deputy Director of CREATURE (Research Centre in Creative Arts, Cultures and Engagement) and University Teaching Fellow. He is recognised internationally for his work as an artist, curator, voice practitioner, public speaker and academic. He is also Senior Curator at Fondazione Marta Czok in Rome and Venice, Trustee of The Line (London’s first dedicated Public Art walk), Senior Advisor for City Space Architecture, Research Associate for Museo Spazio Pubblico in Bologna, Collaborating Artist for Anise Gallery in London and a Member of the Steering Committee of the Public Space Academy and of the British Art Network.
His projects stretch the concepts of theatricality and public art, across live performance, installation, vocal music, film, photography and curation. His multimedia artworks, exhibitions and research projects have been presented worldwide, including: Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool, York Art Gallery, MACRO Museo di Arte Contemporanea and Museo del Barocco al Palazzo Chigi di Ariccia (Rome), Fondazione Marta Czok, ArteSpazioTempo and Palazzo Ca’ Zanardi (Venice), The Science Museum, GV Art Gallery and InTRANSIT (London), Fotofever at Carrousel du Louvre and Cutlog (Paris), Pratt Institute and The Living Theater (New York), MIA (Milan), Galleria Civica Cavour (Padua), Weissraum Gallery (Kyoto, Japan), The British Council in Hong Kong, CICA Museum (Gyeonggi-do, South Korea), Photo Docks (Lyon), Vkunst (Frankfurt), Kunstwerk Carlshütte (Budelsdorf) and RMIT (Melbourne). He has curated numerous exhibitions for Fondazione Marta Czok, including recent collaborations with the Italian Parliament at Palazzo Montecitorio and Complesso di Vicolo Valdina in Rome.
Alongside his work in public and interdisciplinary art, he has developed an extensive portfolio of theatre work through his performance company Elastic Theatre recognised by several major arts awards by funding bodies such as the Wellcome Trust and Jerwood Foundation. Jacek’s work with Elastic Theatre was also the subject of the PhD awarded to him in 2014.
RECOMMENDED READINGS:
Rethinking urban public space. Assemblage thinking and the uses of disorder (article) by Pablo Sendra
Cities after crisis. Reinventing Neighborhood Design from the Ground-Up (open access book) by Carlos García Vázquez
The Making of Tactical Space in Dalston (PhD research) by Yigong Zhang, UCL Faculty of the Built Environment
Co-working Space as New Urban Chance (article) by Irene Manzini Ceinar
Day 1 Thursday 10th July 2025
Infrastructure and Inquiry: The workshop begins at Jason Bruges Studio and the Arup offices, grounding activities in the engineering and design thinking that shapes urban environments and the art-based approach that shapes the human experience, followed by the Wellcome Collection’s exploration of science, medicine, art and life – establishing the interdisciplinary foundation essential for effective public engagement.
2.30pm – 3.30pm / Visit to Jason Bruges Studio
Netil House, 1 Netil Lane, London E8 3RL
4.30 – 5.30pm / Visit to Arup office
8 Fitzroy Street, London W1T 4BJ
5.45pm / Visit to the Wellcome Collection
183 Euston Road, NW1 2BE London
(the museum closes at 8pm)
Day 2 Friday 11th July 2025
Academic Rigor and Community Practice: The London Metropolitan University session provides theoretical frameworks, immediately applied through visits to the Whitechapel Gallery’s pioneering community programs and Deptford X’s grassroots festival model, demonstrating the spectrum from institutional to DIY approaches.
11.00am – 1.30pm / London Metropolitan University, Aldgate Campus
Calcutta House, Old Castle St, London E1 7NT
1.30pm – 2.30pm / Lunch
2.30pm – 4.00pm / London Metropolitan University, Aldgate Campus
Calcutta House, Old Castle St, London E1 7NT
4.00pm – 6.00pm / Visit to the Whitechapel Gallery
77-82 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QX
Day 3 Saturday 12th July 2025
Linear Narrative and Democratic Access: The Line walk, led by youth guides, offers participants direct experience of how public art can transform overlooked urban corridors while centring young voices in cultural interpretation. The V&A East Storehouse visit demonstrates how major institutions can democratize access to cultural heritage.
11.00am – 2.00pm / Visit to The Line led by a youth guide
Star Lane to Stratford > Starting at Star Lane station on the Docklands Light Railway, we will see works by Madge Gill, Katie Schwab and Helen Cammock. Exploring the Rive Lea north, we will take in the world’s largest surviving tidal mill and then finish up at London’s newest creative district at East Bank in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
2.00pm – 3.00pm / Lunch
3.30pm – 5.30pm / Visit to V&A East Storehouse
Parkes Street, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Hackney Wick, London E20 3AX
(the museum closes at 10pm)
6.00pm / Visit to Deptford X Festival
Brickwork Space, Lewisham Arthouse, 140 Lewisham Way, London SE14 6PD
(the event ends at 8pm)
Day 4 Sunday 13th July 2025
Synthesis and Strategy: The concluding brainstorming session challenges participants to synthesize their experiences into actionable strategies, ensuring the workshop produces concrete outcomes rather than simply theoretical understanding.
9.30am – 11am / Breakfast + brainstorming session
Wellcome Collection
183 Euston Road, NW1 2BE London
Limited to 20 participants to ensure intimate group dynamics and meaningful exchange.
Investment: €400 (25% discount for City Space Architecture members)
Bursaries: Three 50% bursaries available for exceptional applicants (application deadline: June 20th).
Fee covers workshop programming only. Participants arrange independent travel, accommodation, and meals.
Please note that travelling to London may require an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), read more here.