Kev Ryan, photographer, artist, community arts activist, Loughborough Market 2018

Kev Ryan waits for the group of people signed up to his ‘What is public art? What might be public art?’ walk in Loughborough Market. He’s limping a little. His big toe black after being stamped on during a martial arts session the evening before. He uses an umbrella as a walking stick. During the walk we follow him as closely as we can which is difficult as despite his injury he walks very quickly from one site of interest to another. At each stopping point he talks to us about a particular statue or set of marks and we consider the state of public art and wether we even generally notice it at times. Why is this here? Who made it? What does it say to us?

At one point, by Loughborough’s now famous Sockman sculpture by Shona Kinloch, commissioned by Charnwood Borough Council “to provide an attractive feature and focus of public interest”, I step forward unexpectedly, though preplanned by Kev, and perform, recite, the Splacist Manifesto then leave for Leicester to watch Leicester City play football.

pushing up stories
through cracks in the pavement
the beach

Paul Conneally
Loughborough 2018