Weathering

Weathering: a work suspended between the realms of visual and sound installation, performance, and dance; a choreography woven from layers of senses, scents, liquids, vibrations, and, most poignantly, the raw poetry and evocative imagery of bodies, caught in a symphony of motion and frozen stillness. Among the twelve or so works by American dancer and choreographer Faye Driscoll, Weathering—which premiered in 2023—has garnered the most attention, introducing her to a broader European audience. In this piece, Driscoll—renowned for her deep commitment to fostering a palpable connection between performers and audiences that transcends into a state of coexistence—assigns a central role to sound. The choreography itself is meticulously crafted, intricate, and multi-layered, akin to a living sculpture that experiences varying degrees of density, enacting a tableau vivant. The bodies remain in unbroken contact, moving in unison and shifting forms like a fabric being woven and unravelled or like a landscape transforming under light and the changes of the seasons. A continuous flow of energy envelops the stage, creating an immediate visceral and emotional connection that passes between dancers and audience members.

At its core, this is a complex work that, as The New York Times describes, “doesn’t look like anything you’ve ever seen before, nor can you imagine thinking it up.” It invites reflection on how nature and biology shape the human body as a collective and political subject. Weathering has been met with enthusiastic acclaim in both Europe and the United States.

“The artist Faye Driscoll has always taken her performers and audiences to the edge, or tried to, but never so completely as in ‘Weathering’, an enthralling, epically adventurous work.” The New York Times

“A feast for the eyes—and the senses. In a sensual yet unsettling cataclysm, it reminds us of the urgency of living.” Le Devoir

“One of the few contemporary artists who effectively place artistic disciplines in conversation—drawing on theatre, dance, and installation art without using any of them to critique the others.” Walker