Detail

John Chamberlain’s series of foam sculptures, including "Kootan" of 1967, is based on his observations of banal everyday actions, like crumpling a handkerchief or crushing an empty cigarette packet. This series is evidence of Chamberlain‘s interest in the material itself, a utilitarian material not associated with art, and he places its direct and authentic presence at the center of attention. In an intuitive process of testing and rejecting, which is determined by the haptic sensuality that comes with shaping by hand, Chamberlain squashes, presses, and pushes the foam into countless new constellations, which he then fixes with a rope. Simplicity, elasticity, porous softness, voluptuous curves and bends also make "Kootan" seem very monumental. Chamberlain described his way of working: „I wanted to do a sculpture that was quick in a different material from what I‘ve used before. An instant sculpture was the result. I was terribly impressed with the idea, that I can make a sculpture in five minutes. And I felt good about the fact that none had ever made such a sculpture. It could simply be untied and something else could be done or another piece could be added. There were various immediate solutions and combinations.“ In contrast to his metal sculptures, which are shaped under tremendous pressure in a scrap-metal press, with the material at first offering resistance and then accommodating to form, the elastic foam never entirely abandons its resistance to being shaped. If the rope is removed, then it will still return to its original basic shape, even if the material has lost some of its elasticity fifty years after the work was made. In spite of its age, "Kootan" (so the idea) does not only show traces of force, but it is also a latent bearer of energy that expresses its own never entirely permanent process of production.