WRAPPING /
IDENTITY

Wrapping / Identity is a solo dance performance developed around an oversized paper coat, accompanied by original live foley by Otto Rissanen. Through the performer’s changing relationship with the garment, the piece explores identity, transformation and the shifting boundary between reality and dream.

The project grew unexpectedly out of a technical mock-up I had made for an entirely different production: an oversized men’s military greatcoat constructed from ordinary kraft paper. When performer Charlotte began playing with it, the mock-up gradually became the starting point for a new work.

The coat is based on a men’s military greatcoat scaled up by 50%, allowing the performer to disappear inside it, struggle with it, reshape it and use it as a constantly changing object for improvisation. Working with paper became an important part of the design itself: despite its apparent fragility, the material proved surprisingly resilient, while every fold, crease and trace of wear made the surface richer and more expressive. As the paper inevitably wears out, the coat is remade, making its ephemeral nature part of the work.