Mata Hari: The Myth and the Maiden
Fries Museum, Leeuwarden (NL), 2017
She played games with men; she played games with the truth. A century later, the life of Margaretha Zelle, who was originally Frisian, still speaks to the imagination.
A self-confident woman
One hundred years to the day after her execution, the biggest ever exhibition devoted to Mata Hari opened at the Fries Museum. It portrayed an ambitious, self-confident woman making her way in a world dominated by men.
Flashback
The exhibition is structured like a film, with each room representing a scene from Margaretha Zelle’s life. The story begins with a flashback to her interrogation by the French detective Georges Ladoux, which led to her execution, and reaches its climax when the visitor encounters Zelle dancing as Mata Hari in the museum's main gallery.
“The Fries Museum packages the facts in an exhibition that blends detective story with biography.”
Caroline Verduijn, NRC — 13 October 2017
Projections on veils
The exhibition brought museumgoers closer to Mata Hari than ever before. They could witness her childhood in Leeuwarden, see projections of her slowly uncovering her body in an exotic dance, and read heart-rending personal letters and previously unexhibited military files. The series of displays allowed visitors to empathise with the maiden behind the myth.
“An indescribably lovely exhibition, gorgeous design, fascinating information. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
N. v.d. Ent and S.J. Bodewitz, guest book — 2017
Credits
Client
Fries MuseumContent Design
Studio LouterSpatial & Graphic Design
OPERA AmsterdamInteractive Media Production
Studio LouterFilm Production
Bert Pot (director)
Gado Gado Filmproducties
Florence Rapati (dancer)Sound Design
KlevR sounddesignConstruction
Fries Museum
Martin de BoerGraphic Production
WatjezietHardware
PTH Groep
Awards
AVICOM F@IMP 2.0 2018
Silver | Creative Exhibition Installation
Press
Leeuwarder Courant — 3 April 2018
“Expositie over Mata Hari trekt ruim 92.000 bezoekers”De Morgen — 2 November 2017
“Van meisje tot mythe: maak kennis met Mata Hari in haar thuisstad”Financial Times — 20 October 2017
“Mata Hari: femme fatale, spy or victim of a moralistic time”De Standaard — 17 October 2017
“Expo in Fries Museum bekijkt Mata Hari, 100 jaar na haar dood”Washington Post — 15 October 2017
“Who was Mata Hari and why was she executed?”BBC News — 15 October 2017
“The fateful life of history's most famous female spy”Leeuwarder Courant — 14 October 2017
“Een voorstelling als een avonturenroman”NRC — 13 October 2017
“Meeleven met de angsten van Mata Hari”●●●●NOS — 13 October 2017
“Mata Hari is meer dan een artiest of spionne”The New York Times — 13 October 2017
“Looking for the Real Mata Hari”