Artwork Data
Title
Rode loper
Artist
Henk van der Plas, Peter ten Hoorn, Fred van de Walle
Year
1977
Material
ijzer
Artwork Location
Address
Castricumplein, Den Haag
City district
Escamp
GPS data
52.0597124586703, 4.26576036114772 View on map
Artwork Description
Text
Anyone strolling along Escamplaan and passing the park at Castricumplein can imagine themselves to be a film star, a prince or some other celebrity. An inviting red carpet has been laid out in the park and anyone who wants to can walk on it with impunity, although this is not entirely without risk (especially in rainy weather). The red carpet is made of iron and the red lacquer layer can become slippery and assume the properties of a slide or a tricky obstacle in a mini-golf course.
The object was conceived and executed by Peter ten Hoorn, Henk van der Plas and Fred van de Walle. These artists sometimes operated together in a collective GROEP that was established in the 1970s. And although the individual members made little spatial work, as a GROUP they usually realized three-dimensional work in the public space.
With 'Red Carpet', GROUP has created an image that, on the one hand, goes a long way towards meeting the demands of the abstract language of form that was in vogue in the 1970s, but, on the other, is a rather literal translation of a concrete fact. No one will have a problem seeing a red carpet in it. But if the sculpture had been sprayed in yellow or blue varnish, which would largely have removed the association with the laid-out carpet, what would remain is an abstract image that makes a wave movement visible.
The 'Red Carpet' contrasts emphatically with its surroundings. The object acts as an eye-catcher. It attracts attention and raises questions about the origin, the nature and the capacity of the form that underlies it, and by doing so it stimulates the imagination.