The impact and influence of public art in the contemporary urban culture has become increasingly eminent. Considering the historical track of urban construction and development, public art in urban construction is holistic as well as partial, systematic as well as essential. It is a matter of social science as well as human science.

　　This essay adopts the characteristics of systems theory as an approach to study the systems theory of public art. It exemplifies how the features of public art represent the city’s image and content throughout the developmental progress of urban modernization. Adopting the rational and objective approach of systems theory as its theoretical base, this essay employs the characteristics of systems theory (wholeness, relativity, dynamics, sequency, teleology) as suggested by the Austrian-born American founder of general system theory, Ludwig Von Bertalanffy, in the study of the urban public art realm in order to provide the frame and structure for the study of systems theory of urban public art. It aims to adopt the characteristics of systems theory as an approach to study the public art system. Through the inductive analysis of architecture and public art in the nature of public facilities among national and foreign urban construction, this essay divides the enormous and complicated urban systematic engineering into two parts: the architectural system and the public art system. In a city, all urban public facilities other than architecture can become part of the holistic public art system through artistic development and creation. By means of the objective existence of the ecological, artificial, humanistic and spiritual environments of the circulatory system of urban construction, this essay studies the characteristics of the system theory of urban public art in the hope that contemporary urban construction could achieve a more comprehensive and sustainable development.

　　Keywords： Public Art, Systems Theory, Medium, Urban

　　1. The Forms of Expression in the Public Art System

　　As an important medium that changes our ways of exchange with our surroundings, and as an art form that exists in the public space and builds interaction with the city’s public, public art can provide both practical and spiritual support to the life of the city’s public. An urban public space that embodies public art is a place for people to gather, carry out exchanges, shop, relax and seek leisure. The public realm of a city – the streets, plazas and parks – provides such exchange platform in the public life. As Senie explains, a city’s streets and open space is a stage for us to act publicly and develop interrelations; they regulate the theater of the public realm and to a large extent decide the quality of city life. Within such space and from the prevalence of its design reveal the cultural attitude toward public space, which provides implications on the people’s attitude.[1] In the blooming era of public art in the beginning of the 20th century, works of public art existed in every major city around the world, in the plazas, parks, architecture, schools, airports, stations, theaters, government buildings, commercial centers, community centers etc. The works of public art have always been influencing people’s behaviors and beliefs. The scope and complexity in scale of public art make it a unique characteristic among all the urban features.

　　In the urban public space, the works of public art allow interaction between the artists and the audience so that they can cooperate and improve the public life of the city. If an artwork has no interaction with the public, it fails to fulfill the concept of public art, and thus remains only an artwork showcasing in the outdoor space. “If we define ‘public art’ by its most basic precepts, then its roots reach far back in history. Its works are conceived for larger audiences, and placed to garner their attention; meant to provide an edifying, commemorative, or entertaining experience; and convey messages through generally comprehensible content.”[2] We name an artwork that exists in the urban public space “public art” because in the public consciousness, it is the art of the public. Every work of public art reflects the sociology, humanities, philosophy and aesthetics behind the city’s politics, economy, history and culture. As elucidated by Zhang, public art is the art of the public space. Commonality is the core and premise of public art; it allows the public to enjoy the aesthetics of the artwork equally. Public art is a specific cultural form that necessarily requires linkage with the public.[3] Consequently, in the contemporary era of public art, public art becomes an important element and symbol of a city’s epoch and its contemporary cultural characteristics.

　　Fig 1 The forms of expression in the public art system

　　Public art is not a single art form. Instead, the concept of public art system is multi-functional, multi-layered, multi-angled and multi-formational. In a city, all urban public facilities other than architecture can become an element of the public art system by means of artistic development and creation.[4] As a result, public art can be achieved in many different ways, such as through sculptures, murals, drawings, photography, body of water, park facilities, landscape, street lights, urban furniture and structure; it can also be urban public facilities of landscape art, installation art, visual art, high-technology art, light art, performance art, performing arts and so on. (See Figure 1) Elements of public art in the circulatory system of urban construction[5] form an intact system of public art, which forms the holistic features of the city together with the architectural system. The meaning of public art lies not in its form, but in the value it embodies. As Sun suggests, public art is not an art form or a unified school or style. Rather, it is a way of thought that allows art in the public space to develop a relation with society’s public in the contemporary cultural context. It is a spirit and attitude that demonstrates democracy, openness, exchange and sharing in the public space.[6] In the process of the urban construction of public art, the public’s involvement is always emphasized. The artists together with the public complete the public artwork’s presentational form. The public’s involvement makes public art really an art of the public. The result of the public’s involvement in public art is achieving the artwork’s interaction, meaning the mutual exchange and influence between the artist and the public. The subjects in the interaction are parallel. The interaction is the extension of the artwork. It leads to the result of the public art’s openness. The real meaning and humanistic value of an artwork can only be achieved through interaction.

　　Wenzhi Zhang Sculpture Garden View

　　2. The Wholeness of Public Art

　　Architecture and public facilities other than it form the unity of the city. Public facilities other than architecture can become elements of the public art system through artistic development and creation. Therefore, the scope of urban public art is very wide and it includes a variety of elements.

　　This essay applies the characteristics of general system theory (wholeness, relativity, dynamics, sequency, teleology) (See Figure 2) as suggested by Ludwig Von Bertalanffy[7] in the realm of public art in order to carry out a systematic study. System theory has it that every thing can be looked at as a system, and a system includes different elements that are interrelated; they interact and influence each other, and affect the function of the whole system. System theory emphasizes on the unity of a system, through which it deduces the operational patterns. By considering the system’s unity and overall situation, it improves the system’s structure and function.[8] This essay uses the characteristics of general system theory as an approach to study the public art system in the circulatory system of urban construction. It systematizes the complex, broad and diverse urban public art construction by identifying the organizations and patterns, and provides the frame and structure for the study of public art system theory. By adopting the characteristics of general system theory in the study of the public art realm, this essay provides the basic patterns of the structural theory as a basis for the study of public art system theory.

　　Fig 2 The characteristics of Bertalanffy’s general system theory　　

　　The elements of the public art system in the circulatory system of urban construction, which includes sculptures, murals, architectural ornaments and garden design, do not exist independently, but are instead, interdependent, interrelated and bear mutual influence. They co-exist in different space of the city. The features of public art and the city’s overall environment are closely linked. Taking the mentioned elements of the public art system as examples: sculptures are artworks built within the city’s space; murals are artworks attaching on the surface of architecture; gardens are often designed to serve as the city’s “lung”. The unorganized elements in the public art system can still form a unity together, but without organization they cannot become a system. The unity of a system must lie in the unity of a certain organizational structure.[9] The elements must be interrelated and interact in a way that forms a certain systematic structure in order to attain systematic unity.

　　The sculptures existing in the urban public space seem to be unorganized but are in fact interrelated and they interact with each other. It is an important manifestation of the unity of the urban public art system. As Bertalanffy’s discourse on wholeness in his General System Theory describes, generally speaking, the overall organization of physics, such as atoms, molecules and crystals, originated from the association of pre-existing elements. On the contrary, the overall organization of organisms is gradually built from the differentiation of the primeval unity.[10] Therefore, if we use the organic system as a metaphor for a city[11], then the functional organs in the human body would be metaphors for the different public art forms in the urban public art system; these functional organs are the essential and inseparable components of the overall system.

　　Consequently, every construction of the urban public art is closely related to the overall urban environment. Any construction of a city’s public art element must be included into the overall management system of the urban circulatory system.

　　Fig 3 The overall relations in the circulatory system of urban construction　　

　　3. The Relativity of Public Art

　　The interrelations between elements that complete the urban public art system are examined in light of the principle of relativity of systems theory.[12] The ecological environment,[13] artificial environment,[14] humanistic environment[15] and spiritual Fig 3 The overall relations in the circulatory system of urban construction

　　environment are the objectively existing elements that put together public art within the circulatory system of urban construction.(See Figure 3) Bertalanffy suggests that “a system can be defined as a complex of interacting elements,” and the whole is composed through their interrelations.[16] If a city is analogous to a biological mechanism, functions of various organs of the mechanism are interrelated. If a system is a set of component elements, the elements of various organs of the mechanism thus establish a biological system.

　　For instance, thousands of public art pieces displayed in the public space on both sides of Chicago’s Michigan Avenue and a few hundred thousand public art works at the heart of Manhattan illustrate the relations between elements of public art within the system and how their interactions assists in establishing a city's urban morphology. If, in any case, these public art works fail to compose the foundation of the whole, they will then cease to be the elements of the system. The rhythm of the system is manifested through the interrelations of elements.

　　A city is synonymous with an organism. While an organism is constantly regulated by metabolism, the growth of public art in a city is similar to the metabolic activities in a body.[17] When the public art system in the circulatory system of urban construction is examined against the long history of urban planning and development, we can unravel the changes, occurred over the course of time, in the aesthetics and criterion of city public art. Given the inevitability of urban development, the dynamics of public art is bound to evolve with time and culture.

　　4. The Dynamics of Public Art

　　In the circulatory system of urban construction, the interrelations in the public art system are not static but dynamic. People often participate, whether they are aware of it or not, in the creative process of public art. “Much of our time is spent in various architectural spaces. We do not only aim for convenience or practicality when building a house or mapping out a landscape, we also hope to create a more pleasant and artistically appealing environment to fulfil our spiritual and psychological yearning for beauty.”[18] Cultural diversity, through which our contemporary is characterized, gives rise to various new cultural concepts and thoughts for architecture and open space. People are thus driven to create a public art space with life of its own. To ensure this new life can grow and thrive, the dynamics of public art in the public space has been brought into attention. While the development of the public art system is explored with reference to the concept of dynamic space in the contemporary era, research has also been conducted to investigate how the form of art in the public art system fashions and flourishes in a dynamic space. The form of art of the public art system existing within the contemporary circulatory system of urban construction and the novel concept of dynamic urban spatial relations can be better understood with the knowledge of urban construction and the dynamics of the public art system.

　　The dynamic elements of the public art system, studied under the lens of systems theory, are particularly valuable to the creative art activities for urban development and the research on aesthetics theory.

　　Fig 4 The Dynamic of Public Art Development　　

　　5. The Sequency of Public Art

　　The development of the circulatory system of urban construction is enhanced by time sequence, which is also the reason why characteristics of systems theory are used, in this essay, to examine the public art system. Public art progresses from a formless condition to a sequential construction. Along the long corridor of history, the public art system has gradually taken shape, in terms of both planning and building, in the circulatory system of urban construction.[19]

　　The orderly state of urban construction sets the pattern for sequential urban development derived from the macro urban construction and the micro public art elements. As Bertalanffy suggests, the disintegration of a system is defined by the absence of order. If the macro urban construction and the micro public art elements are to be situated in a state that lacks order, it is impossible to establish the public art system.

　　6. The Teleology of Public Art　　

　　New Mankind·Red 27

　　Teleology is how people design their intended goal or ends conceptually before making a move and reflects the human capacity for voluntary motivation.[20] Bertalanffy reasserts the commonality of this feature as it can be found easily in the urban public art system or systems of other types. Teleology sees the practice from its beginning to its end. Both its birth and implementation have to be performed in an objective world and are restricted by certain historical circumstances, so that the subject can alter the activity of the object. Teleology expresses itself in all kinds of human activities with clear directions and orientations in a complicated, extensive, manifold and diversified urban society. “Each model includes its own criteria, as well as its own view of the world, and these concepts are related to each other. We uncover such values as viability, uniqueness, complexity, balance, stability, the status quo.”[21] The purpose of constructing urban public art is to improve the development of public art in an urban setting and illustrate the image of the city, so that the need for daily practicality and the psychological craving for beauty of the public can be fulfilled when enjoying the cultural benefits of public art initiated by the government.

　　The study of the public art system theory is facilitated by the principles of systems theory broken down by the laws of general system theory. The new angle can initiate and enhance the gradual theorization of the city public art system. (See Table) The ultimate goal is to research on how urban public art can bring more and better cultural benefits to the public.

　　Table The application of general system theory on the public art system

　　CharacteristicDescription

　　The Wholeness of Public Art：Public art refers to artworks in public domain that belong to the public. It can be expressed in a place, a relationship, an exchange or the ecological environment. Public art is capable of creating unity among people, art and environment and synchronizing their interrelations in the holistic public space.

　　The Relativity of Public Art：By understanding the power of the public, urban construction, individual artist and their interrelations with human science and social science, the relativity of public art can be more clearly and substantially represented.

　　The Dynamics of Public Art：The development of contemporary city public art is a dynamic and systematic process. From the decorative elements of architecture to individual art work, public art serves the public in the public domain before elevating into an appreciative and functional form of art.

　　The Sequency of Public Art：The development of city public art relies on time and order where time sequence is of paramount importance to Bertalanffy’s general system theory.

　　The Teleology of Public Art：Approaching the study of the city public art system, with reference to features of systems theory, reveals how public art represents the image of the city and constructs people’s spiritual home, so as to foresee the future development of city public art.

　　7. Conclusion　

　　New Mankind·White 05

　　New Mankind·Green 07

　　For a long time, the knowledge and understanding of public art is lopsided, vague, partial and confusing. My research analysis generates this concept – “In the circulatory system of urban construction, all urban public facilities other than architecture can become part of the holistic public art system through artistic development and creation.” With reference to the wholeness, relativity, dynamics, sequency and teleology, general system theory provides a framework to conduct a structured research on the public art system in the circulatory system of urban construction and lays out a foundation for its theorization. My research summarizes that the public art system plays a significant part in the circulatory system of urban construction and is also one of the components of the humanist environment. The ecological environment, artificial environment, humanistic environment and spiritual environment create the circulatory system of urban construction collaboratively. In light of systems theory, the history and development of urban public art is revealed and, as a result, brings forth the importance of the interrelations between urban public art and the public. Their interrelations motivate the mass participation in creating and experiencing interactive art. Without the participation of the general public, a work of art, even when it is displayed in a public domain, cannot be considered as a work of public art because there is no collective consciousness embedded in it. The unique perspective and conception of “public art system theory” also sheds light on the future development of public art in an urban setting.　　

　　New Mankind·Copper 20

　　New Mankind· Red 22

　　Professor Wenzhi Zhang

　　Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, China

　　May, 2015

　　Works Cited

　　1. Senie, Harriet F. Contemporary Public Sculpture: Tradition, Transformation and Controversy. Oxford University Press, 1992. 94. Print.

　　2. Knight, Cher Krause. Public Art: Theory, Practice and Populism. Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, 2008. 2. Print.

　　3. Zhang, Ben. Zhuangshi 219 (2011): 68. Print.

　　4. Zhang, Wenzhi. The Study on the Public Art System Theory. PhD diss. Seoul National University of Science and Technology, 2014. 2, 19, 20, 21, 71, 73, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23. Print.

　　5. Sun, Zhenhua. The Public Art Era. Jiangsu Fine Arts Publishing House, 2003. 25. Print.

　　6. “Ludwig von Bertalanffy.” Baidu Baike. Web.

　　7. Bertalanffy, Ludwig von. General System Theory: Foundations, Development, Applications. Tsinghua University Press, 1987. 64. Print.

　　8. You, Guibing. “Theoretical Research of Modern Volleyball Tactics Based on the Systems Theory.” 2012. Web.

　　9. “Biological System.” Baidu Baike. Web.

　　10. Bertalanffy, Ludwig von. General System Theory: Foundations, Development, Applications. Tsinghua University Press, 1987. 51. Print.

　　11. He, Han. The Book on Art Appreciation. Southwest China Normal University Press, 2010. 165. Print.

　　12. Lynch, Kevin. Good City Form. Huaxia Publishing House, 2001. 237. Print.

　　[1] Harriet F Senie, Contemporary Public Sculpture: Tradition, Transformation and Controversy (Oxford

　　University Press, 1992), 94.

　　[2] Cher Krause Knight, Public Art : Theory, Practice and Populism (Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, 2008), 2.

　　[3] Zhang Ben, Zhuangshi 219 (2011), 68.

　　[4] Zhang Wenzhi, The Study of Public Art System Theory (PhD diss., Seoul National University of Science and Technology, 2014 Aug 24), 2.

　　[5] The circulatory system of urban construction: The objective existence of the ecological, artificial, humanistic and spiritual environments together forms the structural relations of the pattern of the natural ecological cycle. We call it the circulatory system of urban construction. Zhang Wenzhi, The Study of the Public Art System Theory(PhD diss., Seoul National University of Science and Technology, 2014 Aug 24), 19.

　　[6] Sun Zhenhua, The Public Art Era (Jiangsu Fine Arts Publishing House, 2003), 25.

　　[7] Ludwig Von Bertalanffy, born in Austria, first suggested the concepts of "General System Theory" in 1937. His article, "On General System Theory" published in 1945, is generally known as the foundation of general system theory. He was one of the founders of general system theory and theoretical biology.

　　[8] You Guibing, “Theoretical Research of Modern Volleyball Tactics Based on the Systems theory” (2012).

　　[9] Bertalanffy sees the wholeness of general system theory as the aggregation of certain things. System reflects the wholeness of objective things, but the objective things do not simply represent the whole. This is because other than reflecting the wholeness of the objective things, system also reflects the relations between the whole and the partial, the whole and the layers, structure and environments. The concept of wholeness is the core of general system theory. Zhang Wenzhi, The Study of the Public Art System Theory (PhD diss., Seoul National University of Science and Technology, 2014 Aug 24), 20.

　　[10] Ludwig Von Bertalanffy, General System theory: Foundations, Development, Applications (Tsinghua University Press, 1987), 64.

　　[11] Systems biology, the study of biological system through using the system theory, originated from Bertalanffy's general system theory, theoretical biology and the “organismic biology”. He explains the concepts on how the “organismic” is a “system” and a “whole”, and adopts the open system theory in the study of the mathematical models of biological systems, exploring the development of embryo, Gestalt psychology, and conducted research on the non-additivity and isomorphism of the "diagrammatic" and "emergence".

　　[12] The nature of the system does not equate to the sum of the nature of the elements, the elements do not possess the nature of the system; the laws of the system is different from the laws of the elements or the sum of the laws of the elements. The system and its elements are synchronised, the nature of the elements creates a foundation for the nature of the system, and the laws of the system are manifested in the relations between elements. Zhang Wenzhi, The Study of the Public Art System Theory (PhD diss., Seoul National University of Science and Technology, 2014 Aug 24), 21.

　　[13] The word “ecology” comes from Greek, meaning “human and habitat.” It conceives of one of the relations between humans and their surroundings – the idea of living environment. Zhang Wenzhi, The Study of the Public Art System Theory (PhD diss., Seoul National University of Science and Technology, 2014 Aug 24), 71.

　　[14] To create an environment more suitable for own survival and development, humans have started building houses, bridges and roads in the natural environment, which is also referred as “the artificial environment.” The artificial environment is the creation of a material environment more suitable for human survival within the existing natural environment, a human-specific living environment. Zhang Wenzhi, The Study of the Public Art System Theory (PhD diss., Seoul National University of Science and Technology, 2014 Aug 24), 73.

　　[15] The humanist environment exists on all levels of urban spirit and material space and reflects the objective necessity for human civilization. As an important component of the spiritual lives of citizens, it is the pioneer and core of human culture. Zhang Wenzhi, The Study of the Public Art System Theory (PhD diss., Seoul National University of Science and Technology, 2014 Aug 24) 19.

　　[16] Ludwig von Bertalanffy, General System Theory: Foundations, Development, Applications (Tsinghua University Press, 1987), 51.

　　[17] Bertalanffy suggests that the interrelation in a system is not static but dynamic. Its dynamic nature has two meanings – firstly, the conditions of the system’s internal structure change with the flow of time; on the other hand, the system must be in constant material, energy and information exchange with the external environment. For instance, metabolism is the key to maintain the internal balance of an organism. If the end of metabolism means the death of the organism, then its system can no longer exist. When the existing system is an open one, the performance of the open system is bound to be dynamic. Zhang Wenzhi, The Study of the Public Art System Theory (PhD diss., Seoul National University of Science and Technology, 2014 Aug 24), 21.

　　[18] He Han, The Book on Art Appreciation (Southwest China Normal University Press, 2010), 165.

　　[19] As Bertalanffy writes, the structure, levels, and the orientation of the dynamics of the system all suggests that the system is temporally sequential. The existence of the system shows the existence of order. The more ordered the system is, the more organized and stable it becomes. When order fades, the stability of the system will be disturbed and weakened. The absence of order will eventually lead to the disintegration of the system. Zhang Wen-zhi, The Study of the Public Art System Theory (PhD diss., Seoul National University of Science and Technology, 2014 Aug 24), 22.

　　[20] Bertalanffy thinks that the sequency of the system has to be directional. The development of the system is not decided by random conditions alone, it also depends on its concrete and compulsory directionality. Together they form the teleology of the system. Teleology is how people design their intended goal or ends conceptually before making a move, which also reflects the human capacity for self-motivation. Bertalanffy reasserts the commonality of this feature as it can be found easily in the city public art system or systems of other types. Zhang Wenzhi, The Study of the Public Art System Theory (PhD diss., Seoul National University of Science and Technology, 2014 Aug 24), 23.

　　[21] Kevin Lynch, Good City Form (Huaxia Publishing House, 2001), 237.

作者：张温帙