Closeness
Franz Erhard Walther
German, born 1939
1967
A group of sewn canvas pieces stored like bedding in a simple pine cabinet, intended to be unfolded, strapped onto bodies, or rearranged by viewers so the work is completed through tactile, interpersonal use.
It looks at once like a bunk of austere, tightly folded mattresses—muted white canvas, straps and rolls framed by plain plywood—so domestic and ready-to-use that you expect someone to climb in.
An early example of participatory sculpture in which Walther shifted the artwork from object to event, inviting viewers to become users and making bodily contact and social relation the core of the piece.
Medium
Fabric
Dimensions
10 11/16 x 6 3/4" (27.1 x 17.1 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Scott Burton Fund
Accession
1060.2010.30
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions