PLACEMAKING - SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT ASPECT IN PUBLIC ART AND INCLUSION - SUPERKILEN CASE STUDY

This research is based on placemaking as a participatory approach to the design of public space, with particular attention to its artistic declinations. Starting from a reflection on the role of public art in urban regeneration, the thesis investigates how creative interventions can contribute to building inclusive and socially sustainable places. Through an interdisciplinary perspective combining urban planning, art, and social studies, the study focuses on the case of Superkilen, an urban park in Copenhagen’s multicultural district of Nørrebro. Acclaimed for its symbolic installations and the representation of over 60 cultures, Superkilen is critically analysed to highlight the tensions between aesthetics and real participation. The analysis shows how, despite the inclusive intent, the project risks turning into an operation of urban branding, more oriented to visibility than to social co-creation. The thesis uses a qualitative approach, based on field observations, documentary analysis, and study of secondary sources. The work was enriched by the internship experience at SIMKA, a multidisciplinary artistic practice based in Stockholm, whose creative method influenced the theoretical and methodological approach of the research. In particular, SIMKA’s approach, based on flexibility, site-specificity, and community involvement, is discussed as a possible design alternative that is more attentive to the context and participatory processes. Finally, the work proposes a reflection on the role of art in contemporary placemaking, underlining the need for practices capable of going beyond the symbolic dimension to generate truly shared and just spaces that are open to conflict and diversity.