Situatiewerk Curtains

During the Wereld van de Witte de With festival in 2006, Yvette Teeuwen presented the project Situatiewerk Curtains — a spatial intervention in public space that altered both the visual and physical experience of the city. The work consisted of two large, bright red curtains stretched dramatically between buildings. These curtains were not static backdrops but actively shaped and redirected the movement of people through the street.

With Situatiewerk Curtains, Teeuwen explored how people relate to space and how subtle interventions — in this case, soft yet assertive physical barriers — can influence the behavior of passersby. The work invited interaction: one had to choose, avoid, turn back, or step into the unknown behind the curtain. In doing so, it created a dynamic play between control and surrender, between planning and spontaneous discovery.

The collaboration with the Nederlands Fotomuseum added conceptual depth to the project, reinforcing its reflective dimension, where perception, framing, and observation took center stage. Mothership acted as producer, ensuring that this temporary artwork was executed to perfection — both technically and organizationally. Situatiewerk Curtains was a striking intervention that temporarily transformed public space into a stage for surprise, confrontation, and poetry.