The Player, 2007

Cristal Arena, Genk, Belgium

Since season 2007/2008, Belgian football club KRC Genk’s stadium does not only have a new name, Cristal Arena. It also has a new exhibition space where football fans learn about football as a social phenomenon that brings people together. The medial highlight of the “Goal Mine” exhibition is the interactive installation The Player by ART+COM.

The life-sized, stylized figure of a football player is placed on a table surface. As visitors touch parts of the body, they learn what injuries football players suffer. If visitors touch a hand, e.g., a realistic X-ray image of its bones shines up on it. At the same time, detailed information in textual and graphic form pops up: How often do football players receive this kind of injury, what are usual recovery periods? Additionally, a film shows situations in matches where a player suffers the corresponding injury.

Four positions around the figure independently allow accessing the information so that several football fans can playfully enlarge their knowledge at the same time. Switching between Dutch, French, English, or German is possible at all times.

The installation The Player was commissioned by MADOC, BVBA.