A Healing Process
Choreographer Alexander Varekhine reflects on the creation of his new piece “Where the Carpet Catches Dust”
Peter Sampel | 25. Oktober 2024
A calming background noise fills the room. Is it the steady crackling of a fireplace or is it raindrops gently hitting a window from outside? Either or, it envelops the room in cosy warmth. Two massive rolls of carpet are lying on the floor (Set: Christopher Dippert), out of which the dancers Alexander Varekhine and Laura Kisselmann first emerge, then later balance and play on, pulling them back and forth or using them as shelter. In numerous voiceovers (Sound Design: Sebastian Wolf), the two recall memories from their childhoods, of their homes. Invisible images of nature, of food, seasons or a forgotten language, but also of pain, abandonment and toxic family relationships hover over the performers and deconstruct the often idealistic image of a safe home.
What actually is a home?
“Where the Carpet Catches Dust” is a deeply intimate and personal piece. Alexander explains that there are two sides to his decision during the process to abandon the original idea of approaching the multidimensional concept of home from a broader perspective. On the one hand, current discourses often equate home with homeland and so the topic took on an explosive political dimension, which harbours great potential for conflict in the face of global crises. This became particularly apparent to Alexander and dancer Laura when visiting the partner school in Eidelstedt, where conversations about home revealed strong feelings about the parents’ native countries and a glorified romanticising of those same places.
However, the decision to depoliticise and move into the private sphere also stemmed from the realisation that Alexander and Laura both have a difficult relationship with their homes. They therefore chose to remove specifics such as focusing on their own hometowns and instead concentrate on philosophical-psychological questions such as: What actually is a home? How does a home affect a young person? And how can young people emancipate themselves from negative or even traumatising experiences and lay a newly defined foundation for a home?
The carpet as a representation of home
Carpets not only provided the title, they are also complex, fluffy protagonists that feature throughout the entire piece. For Alexander, a carpet is the ultimate representation of home. He has always been confronted with them, whether on the walls of his great-grandmother’s house or on sofa beds. As a child, you play on carpets, they catch and keep out the cold, says Alexander. At the same time, however, they also set a clear boundary between soft and hard and represent a conservative normativity, a shell or fixed idea of a home that perhaps needs overcoming.
Over the course of the 30-minute performance, Alexander and Laura provide images for the mental pain of their childhood through physical battles, falls or protective postures in order to ultimately overcome these threats together and hold each other, providing comfort and strength. Here the carpet becomes the foundation of a new home, which can be found in positive memories, chosen families, friendships or even in oneself. Alexander says: “I can also build my home on the level of the things that have given me a home.”
A kind of empowerment
It is easy to see why the rehearsals for “Where the Carpet Catches Dust” and even the performances have been a very emotional process for Alexander and Laura. Writing the texts for the voiceovers was very difficult in some respects. Some passages were peppered with small untruths, mixed up or swapped in order to make the specific “roles” less recognisable. In retrospect, however, the most important thing for Alexander wasn’t the pain that they were able to express during rehearsals, but rather the kind of empowerment attained, the realisation that they are not at the mercy of others, but that there are other ways forward. Alexander wants to provide young people with one central message: “You don’t always have to follow the rules of your home. You can also go against them. If you don’t feel good about them, you don’t have to put up with them. There are places where you can talk about your experiences.”
Photos: Öncü Gültekin
Since its premiere at K3 in September, “Where the Carpet Catches Dust” has also been shown in Potsdam and Cottbus. Alexander says that he often observes young people reacting defensively in the beginning, especially young men, but that they always calm down towards the end. The follow-up discussions sometimes allow for personal insights, but the classroom is also not the right place to open up vulnerably. It is much more important what happens in their heads later, allowing them to take time to digest and feel empowered – and this applies not just to the young people, but particularly also to the adult spectators present, who can reflect on their own childhood and possibly their role as parents. According to Alexander, the empowering effect of “Where the Carpet Catches Dust” is not just limited to its younger audiences, but affects everyone, even himself as a performer: “In many ways, it was a healing process. I was able to understand and forgive a lot. And work things out: Maybe there is another way.”
