Berlin’s avant-garde artistic scene is forever enriched by the mesmerising performance work, DUNST, crafted by the dynamic duo Marie Zechiel and Elodie Carstensen. The piece premiered at the esteemed LOST Art Festival 2025. This stunning piece transports us into a realm where body, space, and atmosphere converge in an unforgettable experience.
Set against the backdrop of Guillaume Cousin’s monumental smoke-ring installation within the industrial expanse of the Kolbenhütte, DUNST unfolds a tapestry of movement that captivates the senses. Twelve dancers engage in a looping choreography, creating a delicate interplay that echoes Cousin’s ethereal smoke rings, a visual metaphor breathing life into the very fabric of the performance.
The Kronenberg location, once home to the OSRAM Manufactures in Spandau, provided a distinctive atmosphere as the Kolbenhütte was transformed into a breathing environment. Dancers entered the stage like wisps of vapour, building tension through overlapping patterns and rhythms that invite the audience to contemplate the essence of presence and absence.
Musically anchored by André Moghimi’s compelling composition, DUNST’s soundscape is as immersive as its choreography. Moghimi’s epic score acts as the pulse guiding the dancers’ movements, weaving an intricate narrative of sound that enhances the hypnotic allure of their physical expressions. The performance is a call for patience, a request to linger in the space between movement and stillness, where the anticipation builds to a breathtaking climax.
As visitors to the festival experienced, DUNST isn’t merely a performance; it embodies a living ecosystem. The dancers’ cumulative energy culminated in an exhilarating moment of collective intensity, which engulfed the audience before receding into silence. One attendee aptly described the performance as “amazing and beautiful,” remarking that the interaction of choreography, visual aesthetics, and natural beauty invoked profound emotion—“it strikes with real power and leaves you in an almost ecstatic state.”
For Zechiel and Carstensen, every element of DUNST, movement, design, and sound, merges to create a holistic environment, inviting audiences to witness the poetry of forms as they ebb and flow. It is this seamless integration of artistry that positions DUNST as a standout highlight of the LOST Art Festival 2025, a testament to the boundless creativity that thrives within Berlin’s cultural landscape.
In DUNST, we find more than a performance; we discover a vibrant dialogue between body and environment, a celebration of cyclical movement that resonates with the essence of our shared human experience.
DUNST by @movementdirector @mariezechiel & @elodie_carstensen
Musik Komposition:
@andremoghimi
Installation Artist @guillaumecousinart
Photography by @mulinarius
Installation Tech @joedf
Performer:
@mayila_khodadin
@laurentsavino
@r.0mane
@aisha_samat
@frederikkehamberg
@leabirkho
@stephanie.ilova
@yaneloaiza
@byalexandrakarie
@soyixchel_
@itsumayyahs
@elizaveta_polyakova
Special Thanks to @lostartfestival and @clarasauer & @studiosvensauer
