Ram Katzir, 2006

Location: Zuidwalschool, Zuidwal 47, The Hague

For the new Zuidwalschool in The Hague's Schilderswijk district, Ram Katzir devised the installation Verstoppertje (Hide and Seek). The work arose from the desire to stimulate interaction between the children and the artwork.Interactive here does not mean that the children have to use computers and keyboards, but rather their bodies and the space of the schoolyard.Hide and Seek plays with existing elements (the tree grid and the present tree) and introduces new perspectives on the playground, as the installation can be viewed from six different angles.

The installation consists of two sculptures: the first is of a young girl facing a tree. This tree is made in a double relief technique, a drawn outline is “filled in” with volume.The girl holds her right hand in front of her eyes and counts using her left hand, which she holds behind her back.The second is of a girl who has hidden behind a real tree.Both sculptures are made of polyester resin and hand-painted in a light blue-gray color that gradually changes from dark to light. This pastel shade gives the installation a dreamlike flair that contrasts with the real trees and the changing seasons.