Untitled, 1995

Untitled (1995), a work by Jan van de Pavert (1960, the Netherlands) is a sculpture that resembles the scale models used by architects. Vaguely reminiscent of the work of renowned architects such as  Rietveld, Frank Lloyd Wright or La Corbusier, it is made of MDF impregnated with beeswax, plywood and sections of pinewood and partially covered with an aluminium veneer. Due to its modest proportions it could easily go unnoticed in the spacious corridors of the old Akzo Nobel headquarters. Its unobtrusiveness is perhaps due to its predominantly brown colour and  resemblance to a scale model. Whoever hazards a second glance however, will discover that this is not merely an architectural sketch but a sculpture replete with surprises, an ode to the imagination.

The work stands on a low plinth, an open wooden construction that looks like a crate covered by a panel. This podium is topped by a rectangular wooden pillar. At the top and bottom the pillar has been folded open and developed into a building. There is an evident similarity to a tree - an intricate root system crowned by flowering branches. From the austere shape of the pillar it seems two structures have sprouted organically. The two `houses' also appear to be mirror images of each other. Has there been a mix-up between above and below and inside and out?

The house on top of the pillar has been covered with an aluminium veneer, giving it a soft, silvery glow, while the lower house retains the natural colour of MDF. Allowing our gaze to wander the passages in and around the house,  we are invariably confronted by blind walls or other insurmountable obstacles. Passages become dead ends and stairways lead into thin air. An extension that might represent a bathroom or a dog kennel acquires a different function through its location and the context in general: perhaps a shelter for a homeless person?

Effortlessly Van de Pavert leads the spectator on a search. The physical space observed by the viewer gradually overlaps with a cognitive region, a mental space. The image could play a confronting role within the specific context of the office building where the sculpture stands. How does it feel, an office interior, an enclosure where so many people mark time? Is it food for thought?

Van de Pavert's sculpture provokes speculations that vary from poetic meanderings to socio-political theorising. The interrelation of the individual rooms in the building dictate their implication, their meaning; so much is teasingly shown by the mirror image that by definition implies a complete reversal of roles. Convinced that art has a role to play in society, van de Pavert with his sculpture, offers not only adventure but also a shelter for thoughts and dreams.