Saturday, December 16, 2023

APPROPRIATE CONSULTATION PROCESS FOR PUBLIC ART INITIATIVES

 


ON THE EVIDENCE, the proposed STREETart initiative for the Paterson Street East Carpark in Launceston is being processed on the assumption that the Community of Ownership and Interest (COI) has nothing of value to say about a project that impacts upon the City of Launceston's CULTURALlandscape.

Whatever it is that informs this 'belief'(?) is unknown but the project's proponents where informed about the COI concept and have apparently dismissed it as irrelevant. While 'in law' there may be scope for impinging upon a CULTURALlandscape as is being proposed it is a dubious claim in 'lore' that the proponents indeed have the 'moral authority or the social licence' to act as they apparently propose so to do.

There is no evidence whatsoever for the proponents to claim to be oblivious to the aspirations of the COI or that the COI might be disinterested in the projects impact – positive or negative – the city's CULTURALlandscape.

On the evidence this is an initiative brought about by VIBRANCE's STREETart raison d'etre see https://www.facebook.com/vibranceprojects/ all well and good. However, it should not, and need not, cancel out a COI's legitimate interest in its CULTURALlandscaping as appears to be the case here.

While the proponents might well claim that they have the opportunity in 'law' to do what they appear to be doing it does not follow that in 'lore' they have the 'moral authority or the social licence' to act as they appear to be doing.

There is bobth the time and the opportunity to stop the clock and put the horse before the cart and relieve it of the indignity of being seen to be uncomfortably behind it!

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