Assembling and emplacing women's minoritised narratives through critical public art practice

This thesis discusses the development of a framework for a critical public art practice that is informed by aspects of assemblage thinking and making. It examines how developing a text-based audio experience might serve as such a form of critical art practice and be used to assemble and present narratives of minoritised groups such as queer groups, as well as relay notions of queerness and divergence to the public. For my investigation. a critical public art practice is defined as a practice that produces artistic works and encounters in public space that provoke critical reflection and engagement with the spaces one shares and inhabits with other individuals and communities. The term queer here is expanded beyond its use as a sexual orientation identifier to refer to individuals or groups who may orientate differently from heteronormative expectations.

My investigation is situated in Singapore. where considerable governmental efforts and resources have been spent in the last three decades to activate public spaces for artistic encounters that promote the multicultural vibrancy of the city (Daniel. 2018; National Arts Council [NAC]. 2022a). Despite the government's growing interest to support a diverse range of narrative expressions and artistic representations. artworks emplaced in public space tend to exclude artworks that reference minoritised identities and lived experiences—such as that of my own (female. minority race. queer). Given the states repeal of its anti-sodomy law in November 2022. as well as changing attitudes among Singaporeans towards queer individuals and groups (Ipsos. 2022). this thesis broadly asks if it would be possible for current public art guidelines to be augmented with a more critically reflective and inclusive approach. In turn what would a framework for a more critical and inclusive public art practice that includes notions of queerness look like?

My methodology comprised both autoethnography and an artistic case study. Through autoethnography. I provide my perspective of the hierarchical relationships. modes of assessment. and pragmatic decision-making processes that tend to be centred in the production of art for public space. The artistic case study describes the development of a text-based audio artwork developed for solo listening public space. For my theoretical frame. I looked to assemblage thinking. a mode of understanding how systems might work by applying notions of nonhierarchical configurations. multiplicities. fluidities, contingencies. and agencies (Baker & McGuirk. 2017; Deleuze & Guattari. 1987). In particular. I consider how these notions might be present in the practice of making art for public space and enabled through a format such as text-based audio. Responses to my artwork were then reflected upon alongside a contextual review of literature and artworks; data from the conversational interviews that informed the artwork:, and my own intersectionally situated knowledge of public art practice and minoritisation. These were synthesised to conceptualise a framework of key aspects for enacting a critical and more inclusive public art practice. as well as potential implications and challenges of weaving minoritised and dominant narratives together in an artistic encounter. In sum, the thesis seeks to contribute to scholarship in contemporary public art practices as well as to policymalcing involving the production of art for public space.