Zodiak Laboratory: Ninu Lindfors & Cia Rinne

Ninu Lindfors & Cia Rinne:

TTRROOUUBBLLEE [double trouble]  

this movement is waiting for its moment

this movement should begin any moment

this movement should have been an introduction

this movement would prefer to be spoken

this movement will not let you breathe before it is finished

                         Cia Rinne (movements)

During the Zodiak Laboratory residency, we begin a collaboration between a poet and a dancer. Together, we examine the relationship between text and movement, exploring their possibilities and potentials. Ultimately, we search for a form into which the materials and understandings uncovered during the residency might evolve.

The thematic focus of the work is the imitation of the ideal. We examine how models, examples, and different directions of desire shape identity. Through this lens, our process touches on envy, competition, and the feeling of not being enough. By reflecting on the complexities of identity, we ask: Could it be enough to be oneself? Could less be enough?

Our collaboration is influenced by the mimetic theory of the French social philosopher René Girard (1923–2015), who proposed that imitation, or mimesis, is a fundamental human tendency. Central to this theory is the concept of mimetic violence, which arises from the rivalry and power struggle between the model and the imitator.

Cia Rinne is a Finnish contemporary poet. She writes minimalist, visual and acoustic poetry in different languages and collaborates on performances and sound installations. Ninu Lindfors is a dancer and choreographer based in Helsinki. She is interested in the ways of combining word and movement and using them in the context of embodied performance. Helsinki-based musician and sound designer Joonas Outakoski will also join the residency collaboration.