You come through the revolving doors and look up. A blue dragon coils overhead, jaws wide open. Further along, a witch sails under the roof on her broomstick, and in the middle of the walkway stands a pumpkin so big that you walk straight through it.
This was Gelderlandplein in October: a Halloween hunt with a backpack, a booklet and a host, Speuren met Steven Kazan. We know this centre well, having built the Iconic Toys hunt here in 2019. This edition we made with Wim Vogel and five other makers, each with their own hand and their own monster.
Prefer it moving? Watch the aftermovie.
Hanging in the air, standing in the way
A mall has two kinds of free space: the air above people's heads and the middle of the walkway. We used both. The witch, the bat and the spiders fly under the roof beams and pull eyes upward. The tunnel and the mummy stand on the floor, so you have to walk past or through them.
The full route
Design: Bidou
Design: Gijs de Smed
Design: Wim Vogel
Design: Wim Vogel
Design: Gijs de Smed
Design: Birgit Bourgonje
Design: Bidou, web Compagnie Les Allumeurs
Design: Wim Vogel, Birgit Bourgonje and Bidou
Design: Compagnie Les Allumeurs
Design: Compagnie Les Allumeurs
Design: Micha de Haan
Design: Micha de Haan and Alex; hostess items Compagnie Les Allumeurs
The numbers
- 14 large balloon pieces
- 7 makers
- 4 days of build, 18 to 21 October, during opening hours
- 1 route through the entire centre
Built around shoppers
Everything went up in a working mall, so the walkways had to stay open and the shops reachable. Each sculpture was planned for its exact spot: the height of the beams, the width of the walkway, the sightline from the next piece. That sightline is what makes a hunt work. From one sculpture you can see the next one waiting.
The result
A hunt gives a family a reason to walk the whole centre instead of one street of it, and a reason to come back with the cousins. Every sculpture is also a photo moment, and those travel by themselves.
Credits
- Client: Isabelle Roodklif
- Location: Gelderlandplein, Amsterdam
- Makers: Bidou, Compagnie Les Allumeurs (Stephane Robin and Gaelle), Gijs de Smed (De BallonSmid), Wim Vogel (Ballonnenkampioen), Birgit Bourgonje, Micha de Haan and Alex
- Photography: zestien:negen
- Emoji graphics: Twemoji by Twitter/X, CC-BY 4.0
Planning something like this?
Shopping centre, station, museum or office: a route of sculptures works anywhere people need a reason to walk further. Get in touch and you'll have a clear quote within 48 hours.