+ BACKGROUND, CHALLENGES AND OBJECTIVES

Phuc Tan ward area along the Red River is the intersection of many cultural and historical elements of Thang Long Ke Cho (Thang Long Market People), which used to be a trading gateway with boat next to the wharf. The place has witnessed seasonal floods connecting to the memories of so many generations of people here. This place is only considered as the back of the city, so it has become a spontaneous littering place, a gathering place for social ills and vulnerable members of the community.

Phuc Tan ward has an area of 0.79 km², the population in 2021 was 18,541 people, with a population density reaching 23,469 people/km².

• For the past two years, local people have been complaining about the landfill which has spontaneously accumulated for decades, emitting a strong stench. It is located about 500 meters long next to the Red River bank, the section from Long Bien bridge to Chuong Duong bridge, between neighborhoods 1 and 2 of the ward of Phuc Tan. Children and adults have absolutely no space to play in this area. Meanwhile, the city does not allocate funds for small public spaces in suburban areas or stuck in residential areas; This particular approach was chosen because it is based on history, culture, and especially related to the issue of providing a good living environment for the population.

• Objectives:
+ Turn the garbage dump into a unique and novel playground with public art
+ Make green - clean - beautiful space, so it helps the community develop healthier
+ Being able to attract community as well as benefit the culture, the environment, tourism, and sightseeing for the local people.

+ ACTIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION

The project leader implemented the following tasks:

• Survey phase: location, context, place history become inspired to do, interact with landscape topography, context, local culture history to create contemporary art project.

• Sketch ideas were from Art Curator Nguyen The Son. He came up with a plan, built a team to execute, brain storming artists’ meeting, place orders for each artist, negotiate individual artists for artwork, and arrange placement for the right artwork with history, culture and time.

• Meeting with women's groups, neighborhood groups, all households to know the author's idea from the beginning. There were 2 talking sessions with the residents so that they can understand the benefits the project brings to the community, and also know their thoughts on the project. The project has been positively approved by the residents here.

• Reported designed documents to work with leaders of Hoan Kiem district, work with Phuc Tan ward, and meet with people by presenting to get their opinions and comments. After then the designed document was added, edited, and pasted on the information sheet of the ward.



• Art Council of Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism appraised, evaluated, and issued permits to approve the project and at the same time supervised the project design.

• The works of art are mainly made from recycled scrap and waste, so to make the public artwork durable over time, it is necessary to participate in the protection and maintenance of the residents under guiding artists. Besides, it still has to be mobilized from financial sources from donors and residents in the area from business activities.

+ OUTCOMES AND IMPACTS

The project improves the environment in the area along the Red River, creating a space for cultural creativity for the community in the area and awaking the cultural and historical values of Thang Long market wharf.

• Phuc Tan residents’ benefit:
There are public places to walk and play. The lighting of art works at night reduces social ills.

• People have changed their habits:
not throwing garbage indiscriminately, cleaning the neighborhood by themselves, continuing to plant flower paths opposite artworks.

• 16 works of art simply use recycled materials, but tell stories of memory, history, "recreating" life on the Red River. To see the outcome of the completed works of art in more detail, please refer to the attached article.

• Factors and conditions that contribute to the success of the project:
The attention of Hoan Kiem district people’s committee directed the project, the consent of the community participated the project, the funding was supported domestically, and there were the individual contributions of the artists, especially the enthusiasm and prestige of curator Nguyen The Son.

• Challenges:
This is an unkempt slum area with many social ills and all the gang members have drifted here, so it's very difficult to start doing the project; The ongoing project has faced the COVID-19 pandemic, and funding sources have been drastically cut. The initiative benefits disadvantaged and marginalized group: Reduce social ills, live safely, cleanly, have a community playground in daily activities, get income from visitors through business of coffee shop, homestay.

+ REPLICABILITY AND SCALABILITY

Phuc Tan public art project has brought useful values ​​to the residential community such as awakening forgotten historical and cultural values, raising awareness of environmental protection. Therefore, this initiative needs to be replicated and scaled-up.

A successful public art project must have a foundation of history, culture, location, and local residents. Hanoi is a city rich in cultural and historical elements, with existing buildings and landscape spaces being forgotten in residential areas, it is possible to replicate this initiative.

Currently, Decisions 1045/QD-UBND and 1046/QD-UBND dated March 25, 2022 of the Hanoi People's Committee approving two urban subdivision plannings of the Red River and Duong River at the rate of 1:5000. Particularly, the Red River urban zoning planning belongs to the administrative boundaries of 55 wards and communes in 13 districts, 40 km long from Hong Ha bridge to Me So bridge.

Along this planning route, there are many existing residential areas with good location, history, culture, context but are developing chaotically and with serious environmental pollution, so the public art project Phuc Tan can be applied in some localities along the Red River route. Later, the number of beneficiaries will be exponential when these points will be travel destination for tourists on the Red River tourist route.

• Key takeaways relevant to stakeholders interested in scaling are as follows:
+ The support and participation of the residential community
+ Awareness of local government leaders must be sufficient
+ Having a dedicated art curator, full of general knowledge, popular with the people
+ Having a team of artists, designers, architects dedicated to community development
+ Having financial support from organizations, businesses, individuals

+ BUDGET AMOUNT

The total project, not including the contribution of labor force, cost 1,500,000,000 VND (equivalent to 64,610.55 USD) of which:
• Materials to make artworks: 1,000,000,000 VND (43,073.70 USD)
• Electrical system: cost of design, materials, construction and installation of an underground electric lighting system extending 500m, a circuit breaker system to each art work and programming the automatic on and off timer with more than 100 outdoor lights, led system inside the art works using light from the inside: 300 million VND (12,922.11 USD);
• Iron stand for artworks: 200 million VND (8,614.74 USD)