Sense of Place

James Putnam is the curator for the visual arts. “An artwork installed in a public space needs to be site specific and therefore have a sense of place. The work doesn’t have to merely beautify the place but needs to provoke or stimulate thought in an aesthetic way having some significance to its site.”, says Putnam. “The art works that are chosen are intended to have ‘a sense of place’ in that they convey a very direct message about the artist’s commitment to the site they have visited and their understanding and appreciation of the local culture and traditions.”

Bearing the principle of ‘sense of place’ in mind, curator Putnam also selects a number of existing works that will be on view in Watou, by Koen Vanmechelen and Gavin Turk, among others.