Unique Initiative for Research on Designed Living Environment

The call Designed Living Environment: Architecture, Design and Cultural Heritage in Public Spaces is open. It is a joint call by Formas, Public Art Agency Sweden, ArkDes, the Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning, and the Swedish National Heritage Board for research funding to finance projects that can generate new knowledge and understanding of how to strengthen artistic and cultural historical values in our shared public spaces.

“I am very happy we can realise a call in collaboration with a new constellation of actors to finance relevant research in the field of spatial planning. In order to meet society’s challenges we need collaboration, and culture plays a very important role for our understanding of society and its history, present and future,” says Emma Gretzer, head of department for spatial planning at Formas.

“Artistic perspectives are essential in order to deal with the great societal challenges of our time. The call provides a remarkable opportunity for artists and other professional groups to explore how artistic processes can create space for reflection, the interpersonal and the sensuous in the design of society’s shared spaces,” Henrik Orrje, acting director at Public Art Agency Sweden, explains.

New collaboration between authorities
The call for research funding in the area of Designed Living Environment is a unique initiative. It is the first time this constellation of authorities has collaborated on a research initiative. As the projects will comprise academic as well as practical and artistic expertise, the outcome of the call has the capacity to make a real difference in our designed living environment. Taking into account that the area of Designed Living Environment affects many areas of expertise and professions, collaboration between authorities is a prerequisite. Our hope is that academic and artistic researchers, artists, conservator-restorers, architects, designers and other professional groups who work with the Designed Living Environment will co-create projects and seek funding. The public and private sectors as well as academia and civil society are important actors in the field, and transsector perspectives may be required in order to organise into coherence complex and at times conflicting interests.

Emphasising artistic perspectives
The purpose of the call is to finance research projects that generate new knowledge and understanding the design of our lived environments. In particular, we wish to highlight artistic perspectives and the role of public art in relation to architecture, design and the cultural environment when designing sustainable designed living environments. Working together in the area of Designed Living Environment, architecture, design, art and cultural heritage will contribute to a sustainable, equitable and less segregated society where everyone has the opportunity to influence our shared environment.

Public Art Agency Sweden develops contexts in which contemporary art and public spaces meet. We produce permanent and temporary art projects in public environments and engage artists in urban development projects, in addition to disseminating knowledge and experiences in Sweden and internationally. With its free space, art provides an opportunity for poignant experiences, reflection and dialogue for those who use our shared spaces. Public Art Agency Sweden is one of four expert public authorities that are collaborating on creating a comprehensive view of the policy area of Designed Living Environment.

The government research council Formas is part of the Council for Sustainable Cities and supports research on people’s living environment and social structure.