Design Art Papers 2025 | No. 13

Daniela CATONA Human Body and Public Space – Traces and Memory / The interaction between the human body and urban space in the field of visual arts has specific characteristics, distinct from the type of connection which could be built in an art gallery or in a closed space. The variety of mediums of expression is also an element to be discussed, a brief view upon the subject reveals a wide spectrum which includes work as documented performances, video, multimedia works, ceramic and even ephemeral material as ice. As an ideatic background, the relation between the cities and that of the human being gives rise to a subtle relations, as „ The spaces of the urban are analogous to the spaces of the mind: conscious, preconscious, unconscious; with shifting, positioning and fighting between them in a struggle for control and expression. ” [1] Therefore, this relation is a complex one, an extremely fertile conceptual terrain, often approached in modern and contemporary visual works and projects. Street Cleaning Event is a documented performance of Hi Red Center which was made in 1964 and took place on the streets of NY, where the tree artists made a cleaning event, washing the sidewalk, as the title says. The ironic attribute of the action and including reference to historical contexts is evident. For a chronological contextualization, we may refer to Nam June Paik’s 1965 filmed action, widely regarded as the first work tobe classified as video art. He documented the Pope’s Keywords / Human body, urban space, memory, traces; Summary / Almost sixty years after Wiener Spaziergang, a performance made by Günter Brus, we still find ourselves in a controversial situation. Various artistic mediums which use the human body as an actor in relation to the urban space are meant to reveal social, political or ecological attitudes. A map of different actions and interactions using the human body enriches our vision about a world which is balancing between personal and public, history and memory. This presentation will explore howmediums of visual expression such as video, performance, ephemeral installation or actions that use ceramic material, incorporate and problematize these concepts. Within this framework, urban space becomes an essential element, positioned in a clear opposition with the genuine natural space, often forgotten or betrayed. We can talk about a certain adaptability of how artists connect the human body to the urban space, many artworks using this space as a perpetually changing scene. The urban space in interaction with the human body tells a story that becomes public and can be captured by the multitude of those who can perceive it. The presence of the human body in flesh and bones is not always mandatory, artists often relate to this subject through its trace or symbolic elements such as footprints, abandoned objects, or clothes. visit in NY that he filmed with his recently purchased video camera. The film was presented to the public that day in a cafe in NY. It is a memorable moment of how the artist's access to video recording technology was incorporated into an artistic act that connects with the social and political. Günter Brus, a member of Viennese Actionism, performed the Wiener Spaziergang (1965) action, having as main subject the artist dressed in a man suit painted in white and also with a scar on the chest. The artist only took a walk through thecity, but theperformancewas very controversial. Brus was arrested for a few days. This performance is a fine indicator of how the political context in Austria at that time perceived an artistic act of this kind. 1969 is the year in which Valie Export made the From the Underdog File performance where she walked with her partner which was on a leash like a dog, putting into discussion the relation between man and women, and also relating to the inadequate gender balance at that time. Both theseperformances hada special significance through street exposure, made to an audience not usually associated with the art scene. It is important to mention that the historical context is relevant for the appearance of these artistic manifestations in the public sphere: „ The street, ordering element of the Art Urbain, reappearswith intensity in the sixties. Firstly, because people took to the streets (large demonstrations for Human 265