Is art more successful than politics at capturing the public imagination these days? Some people believe that major events such as the Margate Exodus, Antony Gormley's public art and the Sultan's Elephant suggest this could be the case. So should politicians be looking to the arts to learn how to encourage participation? Or do artists have a moral duty to tackle certain political issues?
On Monday sculptor Antony Gormley and film-maker Penny Woolcock joined Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the Royal Society of Arts and former head of strategy at 10 Downing Street, and Rushanara Ali, associate director of the Young Foundation to debate the issues in the Guardian Newsroom. The panel was chaired by Madeleine Bunting, associate editor of the Guardian.
There was a passionate discussion about the duty or moral imperative of artists to tackle issues such as Iraq and climate change. Penny Woolcock bristled at the thought of being morally forced to do anything. While Matthew Taylor felt the looming environmental disasters of our time could not be ignored by art.
James Purnell, the culture minister, summed it up very well from the audience: "Artists and politicians should annoy each other."
Now you can hear the debate yourself.
