In this performance, the artist treats the body and voice as entities possessing a hidden life far deeper than what is visible on stage. The piece navigates the tension between the sensory qualities the audience perceives—sharp, percussive breath and rhythmic, mechanical gestures—and the parts of a being that remain fundamentally inaccessible and withdrawn from direct experience.
The performance creates a mysterious attraction through a series of physical "glitches" and vocal distortions, using movement to hint at a deeper, hidden essence. By incorporating prolonged silence and stillness, the focus shifts from the body’s utility to its raw existence, creating a space where the invisible becomes audible through the sound of shifting weight and caught breath. The goal is to foster a hybrid environment where wild instincts are controlled through rigid structure and constructed forms are set free via vocal experimentation, inviting the audience to reflect on the profound interconnectivity of the instinctual world.
Premiering at the transdisciplinary festival PAKT mit/with IRMA, Dissolving Boundaries is a transformative collaboration between performer Ilmārs Šterns and pianist Ursula Hofmann. The work reimagines the piano not as a static instrument, but as a kinetic partner, shattering traditional boundaries through sound and movement.
The duo redefines performance by engaging with the piano’s inner workings—playing directly on the strings and incorporating body percussion. Meticulously choreographed gestures mirror the instrument’s resonance, transforming physical motion into a visceral element of the soundscape. Skin, breath, and voice merge with the piano’s mechanical deconstruction to create a symphony of tactile sound.
By introducing wheeled mobility and deconstructed metallic components, the performers navigate a reimagined landscape where the distinction between body and instrument vanishes. The piece invites the audience into an immersive harmony, witnessing the profound dissolution of artistic constraints.
This performance explores an intimate dialogue between the human body and the wearable sculptures of artist Lara Buffard. It is a sensory inquiry into how the physical form and wearable art can merge into a single, living narrative.
Interacting with Dadaistic objects—such as a Renaissance-inspired collar and corset—the performer challenges physical limits to discover new pathways for expression. Gestures create a poetic space where visual beauty meets auditory nuance; a pearl, once hidden in the performer’s mouth, emerges to become a musical instrument activated by motion.
Through the tension of elastic tape, the work navigates the paradox of limitation and liberation. Etudes for Bones & Objects is an invitation to witness a seamless, transformative interplay of sound, visual art, and the human body.
This project explores the symbiotic interplay between two performers and a harp, transforming the instrument into a site of collaborative discovery. Positioned on opposite sides of the strings and encircled by the audience, the performers engage in an intimate journey of sonic and kinetic interaction.
Through eight somatic compositions, the work pushes the harp’s traditional boundaries. Using extended techniques—striking surfaces, scratching strings, and manipulating levers—the duo weaves vibrant overtones with their own vocal expressions. The result is a singular auditory fabric where the human voice and the harp's mechanical resonance merge into a more-than-human encounter.
Abstract, sculptural costumes by Sandra Lemp, crafted from Swiss silk and linen, facilitate movement while introducing visual tension. Hand padding mirrors the performance scores, grounding the work in a tactile dialogue. Two Humans & a Harpchallenges conventional perception, inviting viewers to experience the transformative power of shared expression and organic sound sculpture.
Premiering at the Rapid Open-air Festival, Meeting of Two is an immediate, physical duet that uses the body as a tool for creation. Across five segments, the performers engage in a raw dialogue, using charcoal to etch the traces of their movements onto a shared canvas.
The performance is guided by a framework of fictional, chess-like rules where individual identities merge into dynamic figures. This interaction challenges conventional hierarchies and invites a reflection on the relationship between subject and object. The work is deeply rooted in a manifesto of empathy and self-reflection, urging both the artists and the audience to celebrate imperfection, question existing structures, and embrace the unfamiliar.
As charcoal marks evolve across the canvas, the performance becomes a living testament to human connection. Meeting of Two is an invitation to witness the beauty of vulnerability and the transformative power of collaborative expression.
Nominated for the Excellence in Art Award, this solo performance is a deep exploration of the intimate relationship between sound, movement, and the physical experience of wearing garments. Through twelve distinct segments, the performer engages in a complex dialogue with items like shoes, trousers, and shirts, using their elasticity and form as a foundation for choreography.
A unique sonic vocabulary emerges as the performer’s voice merges with the rustling and stretching of fabric, dissolving the boundaries between human expression and material sound. Gestures of imitation and contradiction navigate the unpredictable rhythms of the cloth, creating a kinetic tapestry that celebrates the interplay of body and material. This work invites the audience to reconsider their relationship with everyday objects and the profound resonance found within the textures of life.
Premiered at Museum Rehmann, Wolf Piece is a sonic-choreographic composition that navigates the blurred lines between wild instinct and poetic human behavior. Across four segments, the work draws inspiration from the vocalizations and movements of the wolf, creating a visceral dialogue between the primal and the refined.
At its core, the piece explores the human voice’s potential to mirror and merge with animal communication. By weaving together recorded wolf sounds and observed behaviors, the performer creates a rich, textured landscape where human expression and animalistic ritual collide.
Through an evocative interplay of voice, water, and gesture, Wolf Piece becomes a meditation on identity and animality. It invites the audience to reflect on our deep-rooted connection to the natural world and the rhythmic pulse of communication that transcends species.