Southwark residents can help shape the council’s public art policy with an ongoing consultation which aims to improve the inclusivity of public art.
The new Public Art Policy is part of Southwark Council’s Southwark Stands Together programme, a borough-wide response to the killing of George Floyd, and racism as a whole.
Public art is artwork in public spaces that anyone can see, such as monuments and murals.
The online survey allows any Southwark resident to contribute their views on what they would like to see adorning their streets.
Cllr Alice Macdonald, Cabinet Member for Equalities, Neighbourhoods and Leisure, said: “In Southwark we are lucky to have many wonderful examples of public art, that showcase work and stories of people from the many diverse communities, who have made their home here.
“However, our public art consultation looks to take a step further and encourage people across the borough to help us shape our public art policy. We want to better reflect people living in the borough on our streets, moving forward.”
There are currently over 700 responses to the online consultation, which can be found here.
One particularly powerful instance of Southwark public art was the Peckham Peace wall in 2012, which featured a wall of post-it notes of love and respect following the 2011 London riots.
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The wall totalled 4000 original post-it messages, including those from then-London Mayor Boris Johnson and former Leader of Southwark Council Peter John.
Many people voiced their love of the borough and created messages of strength and peace for Peckham.
The riots which inspired the peace wall began after the police shooting of Mark Duggan, a 29 year old black man living in Tottenham, north London, who was wrongly suspected to be carrying a gun.
The Peckham Peace Wall launched on August 8, 2012 to mark the anniversary, and shows how public art can reflect the values of Southwark and act as a reaction to political turmoil.
The council’s consultation closes at midnight on 14th November 2021.