Copyright (2012) Kathy Samios

at Sculptures by the Sea.

Enquiries, Sculptures by the Sea

Sculpture by the Sea, is an event that occurs on the the Bondi Beach to Tamarama Beach coastal walk.

Each year the Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk is transformed into a 2km long temporary sculpture park featuring over 100 sculptures by artists from Australia and across the world.

It is one of the world's largest free-to-the-public events.

This year it was staged between Thursday 18 October and Sunday 4 November 2012

On 29th October, the Metropoliti of Kythera and Father Petros, accompanied by Mayor Theothori Koukoulis, and Matina Samios and Kathy Samios, walked part of the coastal walk, and admired some of the sculptures.

Public Art

The term public art properly refers to works of art in any media that have been planned and executed with the specific intention of being sited or staged in the physical public domain, usually outside and accessible to all. The term is especially significant within the art world, amongst curators, commissioning bodies and practitioners of public art, to whom it signifies a particular working practice, often with implications of site specificity, community involvement and collaboration. The term is sometimes also applied to include any art which is exhibited in a public space including publicly accessible buildings.

The quantity and quality of Public Art in a particular city, town, island or space, can be taken as a reliable measure of the cultural literacy of the society that occupies that place. The arts have been heralded as a panacea for all kinds of problems. Arts integrated school curricula invariably improve academic performance and student discipline. The arts revitalize neighbourhoods and promote economic prosperity. Participation in the arts improves physical and psychological well-being. Great art "makes you feel good". The arts can provide a catalyst for the creation of social capital and the attainment of important community goals.

The quantity, and quality of public art on the island of Kythera is poor. It would be a very positive outcome if Kythera's civic and religious leaders could take their experience of great public art at Sculptures by the Sea - back to Kythera - and cause a greater appreciation of public art, and the commissioning of superior public art on the island.