Page 64 - 1968 ... 2013 Soft Living Room

had made its entry into art, and had become accepted, 02.07.1971, did not find the use of artificial fur and poly-
different materials were slowly allowed into use. This urethane foam in the works of Ferdi and Maria van Elk
was gratefully taken advantage of by Maria van Elk. She to be notable, the public did not seem to understand the
describes her work in the sixties as textile collages that intent behind the social structure. As was the case with
could also take a spatial form. For her, they are neither the more first, more colourful version of the SLR, the new
tapestries nor textile sculptures. Through the hands of the work became, literally, a plaything for school classes. The
artist the material itself showed the way. Above all else, she serene character of the black-and-white SLR had appar-
wished to take a clear position in the art world: remove ently not calmed the audience.
barriers in art and literally make her work more accessible
to the viewer. At the end of 1973, the Soft Living Room was purchased
by the City of Amsterdam in the context of the BKR (an
The Soft Living Room by Maria van Elk was a social artist subsidy program). The sculptor Cornelius Rogge
sculpture in the literal sense. You could seclude yourself in let Maria know during our reconstruction of the work’s
the public space and relax among soft hills of artificial fur. journey that the then purchasing committee was highly
The work was fragile, in all respects. It required careful impressed by the environment.
handling. An instruction manual proved necessary. The
visitor was invited to enter the black-and-white room and Maria van Elk was, as a result of this, in the position
to seek out a place in the abstract landscape. Shoes had to to reflect on her position as an artist. She was recently
be removed, however. divorced and solely responsible for her two children. She
loved art, but her relationship with the art world was
After being exhibited for 3 months in Lausanne, the SLR problematic. In 1972/73 she undertook evening classes
returned somewhat battered to the Netherlands and was for an advanced secondary-school diploma and explored
put into storage. In 1971, the Soft Living Room was again philosophy.
put on display, this time at the Department of Archi-
tecture, Eindhoven Technical University. Within which At the Municipal Museum of Schiedam in 1972/73,
framework remains unclear. It seems possible, according the Soft Living Room was put on display for the last
to Maria van Elk, that Paul Panhuysen (1935-2015) may time. According to Maria van Elk, this was part of the
have been involved in the choice. He was active in many project Feeling in Light and Darkness for blind people,
disciplines, as composer and especially as the designer of by Jan Graauw and Antje von Graevenitz. At the end of
‘situations’: social sculptures in public spaces and at street this exhibition, Hans Paalman, director of the museum,
festivities. The Soft Living Room was no longer shown assessed the work as ‘somewhat soiled, but otherwise in
within the context of textiles, but received a separate good condition.’ For unknown reasons the Soft Living
room. Around the same time, an exhibition took place Room, then on temporary loan, remained in Schiedam.
in the main building of the University, namely Textile Once disassembled, the Soft Living Room was no longer
Techniques in Wall Hangings by Loes van de Horst and recognisable and the environment, as is the case with
Anny (?) Verwey (presumably Anna). The SLR was clearly many works of art, was packed and stored. The separate
not applied art, but what was it then? elements no longer had a function. The Soft Living Room
During a visit to the Technical University Maria van Elk disappeared from sight, became an orphaned work and
discovered construction workers in her Soft Living Room. was untraceable for years.
It was where they ate their lunch and took their naps.
An artwork exists only when it is visible and known. It
During the presentation of the Soft Living Room at the needs attention and care. The basic rules for dealing with
Works in Textile 2 in the ‘Hallen’ in Haarlem, things a work of art in a collection are conservation, preserva-
went wrong again. Pictures show substantial damage at tion and presentation in accordance with the intention of
the entrance of the SLR (image 72). While Hans Redeker, the artist. These rules weren’t observed, however, largely
in a comprehensive review in the NRC/Handelsblad of because the work had a dubious administrative existence.

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