Thor Mcintyre-Burnie, artistic director of Aswarm, explains the need to understand how a site functions in public space in order to work there. He explores how communities can be involved and how artists can support this contribution. How can we make the unheard voices heard? Can we speak “on behalf of”? He also explains the short-lived nature of work in public space, and the importance of restoring these spaces afterwards, while preserving their memory.