Elise Tak, 2003

Location: Primary school 't Palet, Doedijnsstraat 4, The Hague

Inspired by the visual language of film and the way publicity is handled through movie posters and film stills, Elise Tak (who lives and works in New York) composes her own film stories. The main roles in these fictional “films” are played by imaginary actors entirely created by Tak on a computer. For the new branch of primary school 't Palet in the Schilderswijk neighborhood, she created several scenes from the film story The Head Head, where teachers and students appear alongside two of Tak’s own actors: Marvin Dunbar and Charlie Pep. The works are characterized by surreal images and striking use of color, aligning perfectly with the school's motto: "colorful and versatile."

The Story: The Head Head While surfing the internet, some children are looking for exciting websites. By accident, they summon The Head Head, so named because it’s essentially one head, but with two faces: the always angry Head Morph and the supposedly clueless Head Chuckie P. The Head Head shoots out of the computer at great speed, raging and storming through the school. Head Morph grows angrier, especially when the children play soccer with The Head Head. Meanwhile, Head Chuckie P becomes more and more confused. But the worst part comes when The Head Head encounters Principal Oscar, the head of the school. And that can't happen because there’s only one true head, and that is The Head Head. Furious, The Head Head pops over Principal Oscar's head and sticks firmly. As Principal Oscar tries to pull The Head Head off, it bursts into a mass of “nasty” particles. The children know the solution: The Head Head wants attention, and only for important things. A fresh coat of paint gives The Head Head a bold new color. And of course, The Head Head’s brain needs to be fed, so plenty of delicious cakes (especially for Morph), some healthy sandwiches (also for Morph), and an unsolvable riddle (just for Chuckie P) are served. The Head Head is completely satisfied.

Additional financial support: The Mondriaan Foundation

For this project, a booklet titled The Head Head was released. For more information, click here.

For photos of the workshop at the book presentation, click here.