title.  Sola Tarantula

date. 2020

city. Rotterdam

about. 

In 2018, together with the Salvation Army Rotterdam, I was awarded the Elisabeth van Thüringen Prize. This is an incentive award for combining art and care in a daring way and involving the clients in the process. We wanted to use art to make loneliness a subject of discussion and to offer help on that basis. Because many people find it difficult to ask for help, I made an installation that encourages social interaction. It is a walking machine on which someone can sit. The only 'problem' is that the machine sometimes stops. At that point, the driver has to take action himself or ask for help from others. It is nice to see the interaction between the driver and those standing around. Help is requested. Help is offered. People are talking. About the machine. But also about life, which often doesn't go the way we would like it to.

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