ACCA invites you to contribute to a new project taking over one of ACCA’s gallery spaces for Who’s Afraid of Public Space? (4 December 2021 – 20 March 2022), a major exhibition and research project exploring the role of public culture, the contested nature of public space, and the character and composition of public life itself.
Melbourne-based designers Nicola Cortese, Lauren Crockett and Stephanie Pahnis have developed Reading Space: The Common Room, an immersive reading space and common room within ACCA’s gallery that aims to capture a rich and layered library of physical and digital resources that extend the ideas of the exhibition itself.
You can be involved by recommending, loaning or donating of books, essays and other resources that relate to ideas of public space, public art, architecture and urbanism, and critical issues in public culture. We welcome recommendations from across Australia and the globe that consider a broad and diverse range of issues relating to the public realm, locally, nationally and internationally.
To Donate or Loan a Publication:
Fill out the form via the button above and either drop off your publication to ACCA in person during the exhibition from 4 December 2021 – 20 March 2022, between 10am and 4pm or send via mail to: ACCA Reading Space team, 111 Sturt Street, Southbank VIC 3006. Please note, that ACCA cannot facilitate collection of publications, however, all loaned publications will be returned via post after the exhibition.
To Suggest titles for the Reading Space:
Fill out the form via the button above to submit your suggestions. You can browse and nominate titles from the Melbourne Art Library catalogue via this form too. These suggestions will form a public resource list, which aims to capture current thinking around public space from a range of perspectives.
Who’s Afraid of Public Space? continues ACCA’s series of Big Picture exhibitions, inaugurated with Sovereignty in 2016–17 and followed by Unfinished Business: Perspectives on art and feminism in 2017–18. Engaging with contemporary art, design and cultural practices, Who’s Afraid of Public Space? will consider critical ideas as to what constitutes public culture, and ask who is public space for? Developed by ACCA curators, working collaboratively with a diverse group of artists, academics and cultural producers, the exhibition will be hosted at ACCA, and extend beyond the walls of the gallery into public space.
