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Durham E-Theses The Angel of the North: Public Art and Wellbeing BLACKMAN, FIONA,MAEVE How to cite: BLACKMAN, FIONA,MAEVE (2014) The Angel of the North: Public Art and Wellbeing, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/10927/ Use policy This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 (CC BY) Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk Maeve Blackman The Angel of the North: Public Art and Wellbeing Abstract Sir Antony Gormley’s sculpture, the Angel of the North, has acquired iconic status but relatively little is known about its impact on wellbeing. The aim of this research is to investigate this impact by exploring what outcomes were intended, the extent to which these have been realised, and why and how these outcomes occurred. The methodology used is realistic evaluation, framing the Angel as an intervention. The Angel has been an important part of the culture-led regeneration of the town of Gateshead, but its role also reflects the local authority’s work to improve wellbeing in a non-material sense. This is conceptualised, and the empirical findings interpreted, by drawing on cultural analysis, especially the work of Raymond Williams and Pierre Bourdieu. The research combines interpretivist approaches to explore meanings and empirical approaches to measure effects, including documentary analysis, semi-structured interviews, a population survey and focus groups. The analysis identifies themes and sub- themes and patterns and associations in the data. The findings show that there are various types of audience for the Angel, presenting a complex picture of impact varying by residents’ characteristics and circumstances, and playing into people’s everyday lives and life events in different ways. Local identity, home and home-coming, and pride and confidence are intrinsic to its effects, but its attributes have also given it a global status as an image and brand. The findings make original contributions to our understanding of the little researched area of the benefits of public art, and to the role of public art in everyday cultural life and local government practice. The Angel of the North: Public Art and Wellbeing Maeve Blackman BA (Hons), MA A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Applied Social Sciences Durham University 2014 Contents Figures and Tables 5 Declaration and Copyright 6 Acknowledgments 7 Chapter 1: Introduction 8 Background 8 The research issue 11 Thesis structure 13 Chapter 2: Wellbeing and Public Art 18 Introduction 18 Wellbeing 18 Evidence from community arts projects 22 Public art 28 Public art and its purposes 29 Defining ‘public art’ 29 Public art and engagement 31 Public art and regeneration 33 Public art and place making 37 The public in public art 39 Conclusion 41 Chapter 3: Public Art as Policy 43 Introduction 43 Public art a historical perspective 43 Percent for Art: public art becomes mainstreamed 45 The development of policy for public art 48 The contemporary scene and the emergence of ‘cultural wellbeing’ 50 Public art professionalises 54 Introducing Gateshead’s public art 56 The reflection of public art in Gateshead Council’s policy documents 58 Chapter 4: The Angel of the North Story 66 Introduction 66 Gateshead Council and the Angel 66 A site in search of an artwork 68 The design and creation process 71 The controversy 76 Opinion changes 83 The continuing legacy 86 The branding of the Angel of the North 88 Conclusion 91 Chapter 5: Methodology 94 Using realistic evaluation and mixed methods 94 The Angel of the North case study 98 1 The research questions 99 Ethical considerations 100 The pilot study 101 Stage 1: Stakeholder interviews 102 Using interviews in social research 103 Interview process 105 Analysing the interview data 106 Stage 2: The survey 108 Sampling 109 Survey design 114 Questionnaire structure 114 The survey process 116 Survey data analysis 118 Survey limitations 118 Stage 3: The focus groups 119 Focus group process 120 Focus group data analysis 122 Reflections on the research process 123 Chapter 6: Stakeholder Perspectives I 126 Introduction 126 The stakeholders’ views on art 127 The stakeholders’ views on public art 130 Gateshead 135 Stakeholders’ anticipated outcomes from the Angel 137 Conclusion 143 Chapter 7: Stakeholder Perspectives II 144 Introduction 144 Actual outcomes of the Angel of the North 144 Comparing perceptions of anticipated and actual outcomes of the Angel 157 Unexpected outcomes 159 Unmaterialised outcomes 166 The Angel of the North’s context 167 The Angel: its mechanisms of change 170 Conclusion 173 Chapter 8: The Angel’s Impact on a Population 175 Introduction 175 The arts in general 176 Overall feelings on the Angel of the North 176 The effects of age group 177 The effects of gender 179 The effects of distance 179 The effects of deprivation 180 The effects of religious belief 183 Summary of general findings 183 Does the Angel improve people’s wellbeing? 185 How do respondents’ characteristics cluster together in relation to 2 their attitudes towards the Angel of the North? 187 Description of clusters 188 Cluster 1 189 Cluster 2 190 The clusters and life satisfaction 191 Six cluster analysis 192 Concluding remarks 196 Chapter 9: Experiences and meanings 199 Introduction to focus groups 199 Exploring the survey results 202 Experiencing the Angel 203 The meaning of the Angel 205 The Angel as art 211 Conclusion 212 Chapter 10: Discussion 217 Introduction 217 What do local authorities and other public bodies seek to achieve from their investment in public art? 219 What benefits do different people derive from their interactions with public art in general and the Angel of the North in particular? 224 How do public art and place interact to give meaning to each other, and what difference does geographical scale make to this? 231 To what extent is the Angel unique in terms of its impact? 238 Chapter 11: Conclusion 242 Introduction 242 What methods are appropriate to assessing the value of cultural 244 investment? What can Gateshead Council learn from evidence about the impact of 249 the Angel? What effects does the Angel have on different conceptions of 251 wellbeing? Suggestions for further research 252 Appendices Appendix 1: Research information sheet for stakeholders 254 Appendix 2: Stakeholder consent form 255 Appendix 3: Stakeholder Interview Guide 256 Appendix 4: Map illustrating deprivation across Gateshead 258 Appendix 5: Questionnaire 259 Appendix 6: Postcards delivered to all targeted sample for survey 262 Appendix 7: Survey timetable 263 Appendix 8: Email sent for recruitment of focus groups 264 Appendix 9: Focus group questions 265 Appendix 10: Cross-tabulations for age 266 Appendix 11: Cross-tabulations for gender 269 Appendix 12: Cross-tabulations for distance 272 Appendix 13: Cross-tabulations for deprivation 275 3 Appendix 14: Cross-tabulations for religion 278 Appendix 15: Dendrogram 281 Bibliography 282 4 Figures and Tables Figure 4.1 Original sketches of the Angel idea by Antony Gormley 73 Figure 4.2 Antony Gormley body casting and the first Angel maquettes 75 Figure 4.3 The Angel in construction 76 Figure 4.4 Collage of various news clippings 80 Figure 4.5 The Angel on the front page of Sunday Times, 1st January 2000 86 Figure 4.6 Examples of the Angel image used as a brand 91 Figure 5.1 A realistic evaluation approach to public art 96 Figure 6.1 Art model created in NVivo 128 Figure 6.2 The Angel of the North Anticipated Outcomes Model 139 Figure 7.1 The Angel of the North Actual Outcomes model 145 Figure 7.2 The Angel of the North Unexpected Outcomes Model 161 Table 5.1 Survey LSOAs and their level of deprivation 110 Table 5.2 Quota samples across the six survey areas 111 Table 5.3 Area profiles for achieved sample, 2001 census and 2011 census 113 Table 7.1 Stakeholders’ anticipated and actual outcomes of the Angel 158 Table 8.1 General characteristics of survey participants 176 Table 8.2 Life satisfaction by deprivation 186 Table 8.3 Life satisfaction by deprivation and ‘Feel good when see the Angel’ 186 Table 8.4 General characteristics of two clusters 188 Table 8.5 General characteristics of six clusters 194 Table 8.6 Six clusters by life satisfaction 195 5 Declaration I declare that this is my own work and has not been submitted for the award of a higher degree anywhere else. Copyright The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without the author's prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. 6 Acknowledgments First and foremost I would like to thank Anna Pepperall for her thoughtful guidance throughout this project. No one knows public art in Gateshead (and beyond!) like her. She has provided me with more support and advice than I could have ever hoped for. I am truly grateful for her encouragement, always lending an understanding ear. Particular thanks must go to my supervisors at Durham, Professor Dave Byrne, Professor Douglas Davies and Professor Roy Boyne, who have kept pushing me to be a better researcher and sociologist. I have greatly appreciated our conversations and their guidance has been indispensable. I would also like to thank Bishop Mark Byrant, Roger Kelly and Professor David Wilkinson, as without their initial ideas and support this project would have never happened. Tribute of course is also due to Sir Antony Gormley for creating such an inspiring artwork, and for participating in the study.