The original story of “The Pied Piper”, refers to a young boy in the middle ages with a magical pipe. As the story goes, the boy played his pipe to lure the rats out of the plague ridden German city of Hamelin. At some point the story turns dark as the citizens decide to no longer pay for his services which results in the boy using the same magical pipe to lure their children out of the city.

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In current day 2019, this story seems more relevant than ever before. The German artist Case Maclaim with his keen eye for observation brought a modern day interpretation to life for the the 2019, SWK festival in Mannheim, Germany. It wasn’t just the technical modernization using materials such as Montana BLACK, Montana GOLD and acrylic paint, it was also the integration of the contemporary visual symbol of a rat in the form of the smart phone. Or is the smart phone really a dark version of the magic pipe?

“The Pied Piper” – A modern interpretation

Again leading the children away from their parents and society, Case cleverly depicts legs and feet in amongst zombie like children, all unknowingly following their leader watching his screen as he takes a selfie or communicates to a “follower”, somewhere out there in cyberspace. The image is as beautiful as it is haunting. Luring the viewer in a quiet moment to raise their eyes from their own screens, to enjoy and consider the mural. Take a look for yourself here.