Stina Nyberg "Sweet"

MDT have been following and presenting Stina Nyberg work for a several years. This year her new solo have been part of a special project at MDT that started in 2021 – to make space for longer performance period in one of our studios. Stina had a residency in the studio where she was going to perform for a few weeks, and then performed in total 10 shows in three weeks. By doing this, MDT both gives space to the artist to develop their work in relation to the audience, and gives audience a chance to catch the show without knowing about in advance. That gives us a chance to reach an audience that is not part of our regular crowd.

About the piece:

”That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet.” – Emily Dickinson

This story starts with the emergence of a new species, perhaps two hundred thousand years ago. The species does not yet have a name – in fact, nothing does – but it has the capacity to name things. Bit by bit, it spreads to practically every corner of the globe, reassembling the biosphere and the atmosphere on its way. It razes vast forests. It sleeps with its biological cousins and then kills them off. It is, in short, the very asshole of creation.

In a series of ten performances, Stina Nyberg departs from the mind-boggling perspective of billions of years in order to talk about her own assholeness. Or perhaps it is the reverse, departing from her own asshole to talk about eternity. In any case, aided by a dance practising the attention of a bird, she hones in on the details of existence, spanning from the very intimate to the very existential.

Sometimes Sweet is described as a choreography for the attentive. Sometimes just as a mortal dance.

View her experience report in the upper right column.

Gallery pics © Josef Figueroa