Peter Friedl interviewd children at miscellaneous playgrounds in the city of Rotterdam. A series of monologues resulting from these interviews were part of Friedl’s project for the exhibition Play-use, which was on view at Witte de With in Summer 2000. Kromme Elleboog, the publication that accompanies this project, brings together the complete monologues by children from ages four to fourteen.
Kromme Elleboog is the name of a quiet, small street situated between Witte de Withstraat and Blaak in the center of Rotterdam. As its name indicates, the street takes the form of the articulation of the forearm (in Dutch, “Elleboog” means elbow). At the end of the street is a peculiar site, incongruous with the atmosphere that predominates on Kromme Elleboog: a playground for kids, fenced off and crammed against a high, windowless wall. Graffiti artists frequently use it as an aesthetic proving ground. Peter Friedl originally chose this spot as a location for a new project; but a series of circumstances linked to the investigation of the work itself led the artist to abandon the idea of using a specific site. Instead, he started to interview children at miscellaneous playgrounds in the city of Rotterdam.