Running the City

Leading Australian curator Felicity Fenner profiles activity-based and pop-up contemporary public art projects from Australia and around the globe. Running the City explores art projects that bring together diverse disciplines and cultures – including running, cycling, architecture and guerilla gardening.

From runners taking to the streets of Sydney’s CBD in Runscape to Work No. 850 where athletes sprinted through the corridors of Tate Britain, the book surveys recent art projects that utilise the city both as subject matter and a site for art. Participatory, temporary and permanent community-driven art projects reveal how public space can be activated in ways that are original, subversive, fun and unexpected. The theme of running – both in the context of athleticism and agency – underscores the artworks here. More than just site-specific public art, the art projects examined in Running the City change the way we think about and inhabit our cities.

Sales PointsThe popularity of events such as Vivid and the Biennale show how much public art and participatory art is enjoyed by the community.It is an engaging account that will appeal to the art and design community as well as anyone interested in how our urban spaces are planned.Felicity Fenner is a well-respected and high-profile Australian curator.Foreword from City of Sydney Lord Mayor, Clover Moore.