This essay is a review artist Richard Serra's (1994) book, "Writing/Interviews". At the heart of the book is a broad social question about the identity of the public, and the location of public space. This essay considers the political conflicts that emerge in relation to Serra's destroyed public installation, "Tilted Arc." This controversy works as a profound metaphor that concerns the relationship between the public and the institutions that design space for the public. It is a question of ownership and basic issues of freedom, and how these are woven into the social structures that organize public movement and perspective. 5 pgs. Bibliography lists 1 source.