The role of public art with emphasis on urban sculptures in promoting the perceptual qualities of urban space (Case study: Sculptures in the central area of Isfahan)

Public art has various roles in the urban space, which is divided into instruments such as sculpture, music, urban paintings and urban drawings, urban theaters, fountains, etc. Urban sculptures and elements are one of these that have been studied and have different designs and functions. Sculptures are functionally and designically divided into theatrical and functional expressions. The purpose of this study is to improve the perceptual quality of urban space by urban sculptures. The studied sculptures in the central part of Isfahan, including sculptures along the Zayandehrood River, important squares of the city such as Khajoo or Ghadir and main streets such as Chaharbagh Abbasi have been studied. Attempts have also been made to examine about 17 of the sculptures through interviews and studies on urban space, and to identify and extract their strengths and weaknesses. One of the strengths that can be mentioned is the importance of historical, cultural and aesthetic urban issues in the concepts of sculptures. Weaknesses that we see in some of these cases and sculptures, such as low lighting of some sculptures, improper location of the sculpture, (large or small) of the sculpture relative to the space used are also points that are perceived. And the importance of the statue must be taken into account.