Public Art Park was an outdoor program featuring 20 projects over two weeks, with a focus on activities that engaged directly with the site and its market context. 

We invited the public to come and join us and engage with a public program of talks, activities, events and performances. Public Art Park was about coming together to be in a place, learn from a place and contribute to cultures of place. It was about being, doing and sharing in public. 

For six weeks Testing Grounds, in collaboration with Ilana Russell and Lana Nguyen, ran a creative development lab.

This Lab made time and space for creative ideas, and 20 projects were developed through the Lab for Public Art Park. The Lab focused on drawing out ideas about this place – the Victoria Market and its surroundings – and developing creative works in response. The Lab was a convivial space where we gathered each week, made lunch, discussed ideas and developed projects.

Thank you to Jordan Lacey, Alistair Kirkpatrick, Zena Cumpston, Nikos Papastergiadis and Fiona Hillary for sharing with us during this time. 

Public Art Park images by Astrid Mulder and George Downing.