A Study on History of Memory and Locality of Public Art Based on Counter Monument

Abstract

(Background and Purpose) Public art has symbolized the scale of power according to history and locality, and has been influenced by political tendencies and systems of government. Since the 1980s, however, the need for social role of public art has emerged, and James Young made new attempts to transform the public art into a medium of anti-monuments. This study was intended to examine the social role of public art through case analysis for the purpose of presenting basic course for public based on the history of memory as a motif. (Methodology) In this study, we conducted an investigative analysis of the literatures for the research on the count-monument as the scope of study on public art, and particularly, analyzed the media conveying the message of memory in connection with counter monument characteristics, and at the same time, explored the role of public art based on theoretical characteristics such as publicness in public space, relations with viewers, specificity of place and time, and alternative forms breaking away from ideological control from the aspect of contemporary public. In the case analysis, we analyzed the expression of objects, expression of space, and relationship with viewers from the aspect of counter monument. (Results) In this study, it was considered that the eternal materiality, which was consistently fossilized in certain place, led to a sense of gap with the reality and to the destruction of reality when a new era arrives and various situations arise, which was defined as the essence of counter monument. In particular, the conclusion was presented that the history and social issues related to public places should be grasped, and that the time, place and temporal specificity should be taken into consideration, and furthermore, that the public art should not be relegated to the ideological tools of the privileged class. (Conclusion) This study analyzed the counter monuments of history, memory, place, and public art based on counter monuments, a concept opposed to the meaning of monument. Based on overall consideration of the results, the role of the monument, which is taken by the public art in the future, is as follows: First, history and place should be organically combined to grow. Second, the development of the medium of representation is necessary, which requires constant dialogue between the victim and the history. Third, changes should be made to ensure restoration of publicness by considering the time-specificity, place-specificity, and temporality from the aspect of public art. Finally, we suggested that it would be necessary to allow the viewers to reproduce other memories, depending on new experience. For the succeeding studies, this researcher hopes that various studies would be conducted in the period ahead by expanding concerned realms.