Zippora Elders

Elders is editor of the forthcoming publication Playing Constant: The Only Constant Is Change, and wrote its foreword and an introductory essay. Playing Constant is a publication by Jap Sam Books in collaboration with Zippora Elders and Fondation Constant, reflecting on the Constant 101 project, due spring 2025.

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On invitation of the Fondation, I have been closely involved with Constant 101 from start [2019] to finish. It was very special. Kim and I developed the concept in collaboration, worked out the name and the starting point, and determined the structure. That felt so unique: a voice from the personal environment of Constant and myself with the artistic vision from the outside. I found it important to approach Constant’s anniversary in a topical way and from the position of artists; non-linear, demodern, transdisciplinary. Not only aiming for collaborations with large museums and collections, but also with bottom-up organisations, collectives and art spaces throughout the Netherlands, and beyond. In those early years, I did a lot around science fiction for the Kunstfort and later with Labour for Sonsbeek, which both connected to Constants work. I also looked critically at Constant’s perspective and position in the canon, to make aware of his and our own ‘situated knowledge’. I am very grateful for the inspiring collaborations and trust of all the artists, designers, writers, partners and other participants. I wanted to bring to the surface the playful, disobedient, audacious and sometimes inconsistent Constant, in the here and now, to involve people in those aspects and then bring in their voices, ideas and stories. The four thematic pillars and the advisory board originate from that playfulness: broadening and deepening, approaching Constant’s legacy creatively and associatively — radical play.

The publication with Jap Sam Books and Our Polite Society is an extension of: “Playing Constant”. Acting and thinking as if we are Constant, playing with Constant’s practice and thoughts, and delving into what the playful side of Constant can mean, with various artists and authors that I have known for a long time. The book will be released during the exhibition New New Babylon in the Kunstmuseum in The Hague which I guest-curated and for which we invited 25 artists and designers. The Kunstmuseum has Constant’s largest collection of New Babylon works. But the really great thing about the past years for me as an art historian was being allowed to work and research in Constant’s last home at the Kromme Waal in Amsterdam; the presence of so much knowledge and artistry, the company of Trudy now and then… Intimate and impressively close, lively and dedicated. With that Constant we are moving into the future!’ — Zippora Elders

Connection
Elders joined the Constant 101 team in 2019 and was curator-at-large of the project. She was recommended by former board member Ludo van Halem because of her work experience in multidisciplinary art and design projects. With a broad network, strong ties with new makers and diverse communities, and a background in art history, heritage studies and museum conservatorship, she proved to be invaluable for the project. Elders is also an advisor and board member for organizations in the cultural sector, particularly in the field of crossover, nightlife and digital culture.