In 1972, artist Garth Evans welcomed the opportunity to create a public sculpture in Cardiff, Wales, as part of the Peter Stuyvesant Foundation's�City Sculpture Project. Concerned that the increasing demand for his work served only to reinforce the political, social, and economic status quos, Evans hoped to unsettle this dynamic by making a sculpture that would connect with an audience outside of the art world. The morning after the installation of his sculpture, Evans recorded�the responses of passersby. The Beckettian transcript of the Cardiff interviews is presented here, framed by Evans's introduction and reflection. Art historian Jon Wood contextualizes�The Cardiff Tapes�within contemporaneous debates about sculpture and public space. These writings explore ideas about the social responsibilities of art and artists, and make a cogent argument for the value of "difficulty" in sculpture.

Contributions by: Jon Wood