In the landscape architecture, "Ha-Ha" is a design element of French origin, consisting of a steep ditch leading to a vertical retaining wall. This function acts as an almost invisible, but nonetheless effective barrier that restricts transit from one side to the other. One such barrier appears in the Emily Ludwig Schaffer exhibit and is mentioned in its title.
From the wall "Ha-Ha" comes the dance "no-no"The visual game and the illusionist architectural space necessary for Ha-Ha work occupy a prominent place in Schaffer's work.
Most of the paintings presented are densely depicted supernatural, intimate, internal spaces. Sometimes they transcend reality; one day in the afternoon and at dusk one can see the windows of the neighboring rooms, in the other - the starry night sky in a box and a laurel wreath. Inherently small domestic spaces seem to be intended for social gatherings between close friends, despite the transition to alternate or parallel realities.
Schaffer, whose mother was an architect, describes the scenes in her paintings as theoretical studies of space, light, and color, as well as a tribute to the spaces that women create and create. If the ideal space in classical architecture, largely conceived from a masculine point of view, gives an advantage to logic, rationality and scale, whereas Schaffer interiors prefer the opposite. They are surreal, esoteric and designed to host small family gatherings.