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SOMA & SKELETON

”If you listen to your body when it whispers…. you won’t have to hear it scream.” 

Laila Claessen 

Location: Frascati 3

Dates:









duration of the performance: 45 min

‘Communication is key’ in any relationship, right? What does the body have to say when you truly listen to it? What secrets lie within this fleshy archive? It’s time for a heart-to-heart.
   

In the multidisciplinary performance Soma & Skeleton, Laila Claessen takes you on a honeymoon through the human body. Ancient Ayurvedic wisdom on body and soul is given a contemporary platform. Avant-garde costume design molds new anatomical shapes, and a live soundscape of bodily sounds guides you through all the fleshy, emotional, and spiritual layers of the Self. It’s a journey inwards, a quest for the Holy Shrine; the altar of radical self-love.
   

Self-love… body positivity… WTF & how? Soma & Skeleton arises from a desire to reshape how we perceive and cherish our bodies. An artistic research, rooted in her own healing journey.
 Like a martial vow to her body, the burning question lingers: Will she say yes? 

Biography

Laila Claessen is a theater maker specialized in Vedic sciences. Her work spans performance, film, site-specific theater, sensory food experiences, and Vedic sciences.  

She is deeply engaged with the body-soul coexistence and enjoys delving into the tragedy of being human. Her work is covered in a mix of dark humor, childlike philosophy, and metaphors that twist and turn themselves in search for a better meaning. A cute but creepy, disarming mash-up. Do you know that song “Sweet but Psycho” by Ava Max? It’s a shitty song, her life anthem.  

Using language as a foundation, she creates associative images. Visually, her work is hyper-stylized yet DIYed on a low budget. She loves contradictions and contrasts. She mixes the use of soft pipo spots with neon LED lighting and combines minimalistic Feng Shui aesthetics with post-apocalyptic dystopia. Oh, and there’s always a certain level of entertainment and humor. “Come over to the dark side, I have candy…”  

Laila’s work is accessible to a broad audience. “My sister, who isn’t really into theater, is the main benchmark for my work; if she likes it, I am fearless of any critic.” 

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