Urban Animators: Living Laboratory (UA:LL) was a public art research project that actively engaged with the RMIT University New Academic Street capital works project, undertaken at the Melbourne city campus from 2015-2017. The construction site and the surrounding campus were envisaged as a living laboratory encouraging research that engaged with the internal infrastructure, process and community of RMIT University.As curator of the UA:LL public art program I created a framework that encouraged collaboration, provocation, solidarity and exchange amongst RMIT University students, staff and alumni. This was achieved through the process of open expression of interests, learning and teaching, invited artists and industry research partnerships all resulting in public artworks embedded in the construction zone. The artistic installations included public artworks on construction hoardings and projections within the constriction zone that positively activated the site condition and helped mitigate the disruption occurring on the campus.As a curator, artist and designer I proposed a spatial curatorial proposition to the city via a public art installation titled ‘Gantry Section D’ as part of the UA:LL program. ‘Gantry Section D’ was the result of an intensive period of practice based investigation into the condition created when a city is undergoing transformation.
Academic–Industry Research Partnerships: an Emerging Opportunity or Just Smoke and Mirrors?
