| Abstrakt: |
The article investigates the ways in which a public square can interact with its city through pre-arranged performances. The site of this study is a square in the middle of Stockholm, Sweden that was constructed in the late 1960s. Four performances that took place during 2007 and 2009 are studied. All four connected in different ways with the square. One of the main research questions is whether it is possible to construct a square designed to host public events and performances, and what the foremost problems are with a giant square such as Sergels torg. One of the conclusions is that while there is a need of open places in the city, the utilisation of open spaces for this purpose is threatened by increasing commercialisation of the city. These questions are discussed with the help of theories about city planning, public open space as well as theories of playing and the carnival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
