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Participatory art turns the artwork into a process of engagement and co-creation, and it thus involves forms of time-based coordination that influence the experience of creating participatory art. In this paper I argue that participatory art is underscored by two contrasting temporal frameworks. One is the framework of long-term durational approaches that have been internalized among artists as an ethical and political obligation toward participants; the other is the short-term temporary framework that typically comes with project funding and steers the project toward delivery of target outcomes. To show the tensions to which these contrasting temporal frameworks can give rise, I analyze the development of a participatory art project in Copenhagen’s South Harbor. Specifically, the analysis emphasizes how tensions arose in respect to delimitations of project aspects such as who constitutes the creative team, what is the task before us, and what is our expected contribution to the community. By emphasizing the tensions arising from contrasting temporal frameworks, the article contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the experience of creating participatory art, and to problematizing the question of time for participatory art.

Contemporary cultural policy promotes the value of participatory practices, including participatory art. However, this emphasis renders cultural policy subject to the art community’s widespread and generalized suspicion that government initiatives instrumentalize artistic practices to serve purposes other than those pursued by artists themselves. This article addresses the relationship between participatory art, participatory culture and cultural policy, focusing in particular on notions of artistic autonomy. Specifically, the article uses organization theory’s discussion of freedom in work to frame art theory’s sustained, albeit differently conceptualized, preoccupation with notions of artistic autonomy in respect to the bureaucratic organization of life in modernity. Empirically, the article analyses an inspirational catalogue that promotes the use of participatory art and citizen involvement in public art projects as a way of challenging the art community’s generalized suspicion, while also suggesting that Danish arts policy is renegotiating the role of art in contemporary society by taking advantage of contemporary opportunities for seizing artistic freedom. Contemporary participatory culture, it is argued, conditions as well as promotes artistic practice, thus generating new artistic possibilities, although only to the extent that artists engage in collaboration with other organizations, including those affecting cultural policy.

Participatory art turns the artwork into a process of engagement and co-creation, and it thus involves forms of time-based coordination that influence the experience of creating participatory art. In this paper I argue that participatory art is underscored by two contrasting temporal frameworks. One is the framework of long-term durational approaches that have been internalized among artists as an ethical and political obligation toward participants; the other is the short-term temporary framework that typically comes with project funding and steers the project toward delivery of target outcomes. To show the tensions to which these contrasting temporal frameworks can give rise, I analyze the development of a participatory art project in Copenhagen’s South Harbor. Specifically, the analysis emphasizes how tensions arose in respect to delimitations of project aspects such as who constitutes the creative team, what is the task before us, and what is our expected contribution to the community. By emphasizing the tensions arising from contrasting temporal frameworks, the article contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the experience of creating participatory art, and to problematizing the question of time for participatory art.

THE PARTICIPATORY, PUBLIC ART PROJECT ISTEDGADE GREEN SPOTS AND SUSTAINABLE DETOURS WANTED TO ENGAGE SEVERAL HUNDRED LOCAL RESIDENTS TO TAKE PART IN CO-DESIGNING, IMPLEMENTING AND SUSTAINING MULTIPLE GREEN OASES IN AND AROUND THE STREET ISTEDGADE IN CENTRAL COPENHAGEN. THIS ARTICLE CONSTITUTES A QUALITATIVE, REFLEXIVE ANALYSIS OF THE PROCESSES OF DEVELOPING THE ARTWORK WITH A PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON THE REASONS WHY IT FAILED TO DEVELOP THE AMBITIOUS PROJECT IT ORIGINALLY ENVISIONED. THE ARTICLE DISCUSSES THE PROJECT THROUGH THE LENS OF THE NEW NORMS FOR ARTISTIC PRACTICE THAT HAVE EVOLVED WITHIN SOCIAL PRACTICE ART, A FIELD OF ART WITH A PARTICULAR SENSITIVITY TOWARDS ISSUES OF INVISIBILITIES, INEQUALITIES AND INJUSTICES AND A STRONG ACTIVIST DIMENSION. WHILE HIGHLIGHTING TWO KEY CHALLENGES AFFECTING THE SUCCESS OF THE PROJECT, THE ARTICLE ALSO RAISES THE QUESTION OF WHETHER THE SHORT-TERM EVALUATION OF THE PROJECT CONSTITUTES AN ADEQUATE MEASURE FOR THIS TYPE OF INTERVENTION INTO URBAN DEVELOPMENT.

CONTEMPORARY CULTURAL POLICY PROMOTES THE VALUE OF PARTICIPATORY PRACTICES, INCLUDING PARTICIPATORY ART. HOWEVER, THIS EMPHASIS RENDERS CULTURAL POLICY SUBJECT TO THE ART COMMUNITY’S WIDESPREAD AND GENERALIZED SUSPICION THAT GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES INSTRUMENTALIZE ARTISTIC PRACTICES TO SERVE PURPOSES OTHER THAN THOSE PURSUED BY ARTISTS THEMSELVES. THIS ARTICLE ADDRESSES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PARTICIPATORY ART, PARTICIPATORY CULTURE AND CULTURAL POLICY, FOCUSING IN PARTICULAR ON NOTIONS OF ARTISTIC AUTONOMY. SPECIFICALLY, THE ARTICLE USES ORGANIZATION THEORY’S DISCUSSION OF FREEDOM IN WORK TO FRAME ART THEORY’S SUSTAINED, ALBEIT DIFFERENTLY CONCEPTUALIZED, PREOCCUPATION WITH NOTIONS OF ARTISTIC AUTONOMY IN RESPECT TO THE BUREAUCRATIC ORGANIZATION OF LIFE IN MODERNITY. EMPIRICALLY, THE ARTICLE ANALYSES AN INSPIRATIONAL CATALOGUE THAT PROMOTES THE USE OF PARTICIPATORY ART AND CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT IN PUBLIC ART PROJECTS AS A WAY OF CHALLENGING THE ART COMMUNITY’S GENERALIZED SUSPICION, WHILE ALSO SUGGESTING THAT DANISH ARTS POLICY IS RENEGOTIATING THE ROLE OF ART IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY BY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF CONTEMPORARY OPPORTUNITIES FOR SEIZING ARTISTIC FREEDOM. CONTEMPORARY PARTICIPATORY CULTURE, IT IS ARGUED, CONDITIONS AS WELL AS PROMOTES ARTISTIC PRACTICE, THUS GENERATING NEW ARTISTIC POSSIBILITIES, ALTHOUGH ONLY TO THE EXTENT THAT ARTISTS ENGAGE IN COLLABORATION WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING THOSE AFFECTING CULTURAL POLICY.