You arrive at the small lake via one of Ruigoord's picturesque paths. This was commissioned by Theo Kley (1936-2022), Ruigoord artist and founder of the Insektensekte (Insect Sect). He then planted one tree after another over a span of 22 years, transforming this farmland into a green pleasure ground. Fringed with poplars and willows, a little beach and a (herbal) tea garden.

In the middle of this green splendour, there is now a special entity in its waters:  Hydra, a mechanical octopus. With fifty rubbery tentacles that move synchronously to melodies of the water, she is an enchanting presence.

As often in Zoro Feigl's (1983) installations, Hydra comes to life. Animated and endowed with an apparent will of its own. Feigl knows how to bring inanimate materials to life, letting them breathe, dance and spin.

Hydra symbolises the tireless fight against everything that refuses to be defeated. She twists and moves. She is resilient and flexible, like water and Ruigoord itself. She is also simultaneously the many-headed monster that a village like Ruigoord can be. A cosmic and wondrous snake pit, in which there is an elegant dance of diverse people, disciplines and forms.

Special thanks to Nic Roex.

Zoro Feigl's (1983) installations come to life, seemingly animated by a will of their own. His materials dance and twist while engaging in a dialogue with their surroundings. Zoro Feigl, who lives and works between Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Klein-Vorst Laakdal, Belgium, is an internationally recognised artist whose work has been exhibited at Mori Art Museum Tokyo and HeART Museum, Herning, among others. He received the Volkskrant Visual Arts Audience Prize in 2013, the Witteveen+Bos Prize for Art+Technology in 2018, and was nominated for Dutch Artist of the Year 2021.