The Ritual Of Embrace

In this ritual, ordinary things become unordinary by welcoming the primal forces of connection through movement, voicing, and touch. Here the participants are invited to playful interactions through soft sculptures. The culmination of the performance is a collective physical and energetic massage.

In this process, attention, care and trust towards ourselves and each other open up. We believe that this sensory and energetic experience, individually and as a collective, allows for deepening awareness and feeling a part of a greater whole. The ritual is supported by an electronic ancestral musical set, composed by Nag Champa.PL and live played Himalayan singing bowls.

The Ritual of Embrace was supported by Amsterdam Fonds Voor Kunst 2024, and was shown at the Lorelei Festival, Pleinkamer (The Bookstore Foundation), Lycka (Urban Resort), the DAY Collective studio, the Tekentuin festival at the Drawing Center Dippenheim.

Elena, 21.03.25
In the context of modern life, where people often lack warmth, care, and love, being enveloped in a soft, cozy cocoon almost like a hug — creates a profound sense of serenity. It’s a powerful feeling.

This experience also serves as a vital reminder that, no matter how advanced technology and innovation become, human beings still need human connection. In today’s world, physical touch and warmth have almost become a VIP privilege, yet they remain irreplaceable for developing empathy and emotional well-being.

Marina, 05.05.24

This is really stronger than psychotherapy and hypnosis, it is magic. I would like as many people as possible to experience this. So that such rituals are used for people with psychological problems, with depression.

Peter Both
The performance really gave me a feeling of connection and happiness. Of course these moments also come with some awkwardness but that feeling quickly went away. I think you really set a nice tone with all these elements of togetherness.

Daniel, 22.07.2025

… Even just writing about it made me feel an amazing energy. The absence of words makes us all equal, and by being equal, we become the same thing. The absence of words helps us communicate better, through the heart. It makes us real. The sound, the vibration of Tibetan bowls is wonderful. It clears your mind entirely. It puts you in a state of surrender, of being ready to receive love, because you feel that you deserve it. And it’s true, we all do.

Dance and music help us express ourselves freely and sincerely. Music, in itself, already makes you move. Seeing others move helps you even more. At first, you may feel blocked. But seeing that others have blocks too creates a sense of compassion. You want to help them. And you help by example, you move more freely, to help them do the same, to let go, to feel good, to feel free.

In truth, by helping others, you’re helping yourself. Dorota and Yulia are amazing at this. They go all in. They show you that it doesn’t matter what you do, what matters is that doing it makes you feel good. That’s true freedom of expression. They encourage you, through their example, to also express yourself with sounds, in rhythm with the music. These sounds create a vibration within your body, making you feel even better.

The way the massage is conceived is beautiful. You’re covered with the sculptures, they have the perfect weight, like one of those heavy grandmother blankets. Other participants, in a circle, touch the sculptures, apply pressure, lean on them, and transfer their love. I must say, the fact that the sculptures cover you makes the massage much more pleasant. The pressure is evenly distributed, and even though many hands are touching them, the sensation is that of a single body. I noticed it helped release the tension in my back.

After the massage, I felt much more energetic, like the feeling you get when you wake up without an alarm, after a truly restful sleep, and have no worries for the day ahead.

Vladimir, 05.05.24

It felt as though the energy of the performance was pulling me in.

Interacting with the soft sculptures was one of the most interesting parts for me. These sculptures became tools for communicating with others. Through tossing them, moving them, and passing them to other participants, I was able to share emotions without using words. It was such a unique way to connect and express myself.

I didn’t lie down this time, but did massage and being part of the interaction still felt incredibly unifying.

The whole process was so engaging, I felt a strong sense of connection to the group.

Irina, 22.07.25

I was a bit reluctant to the massage in the beginning but it came to be great, the feeling of being as a baby, protected and taken care of.

I would recommend it to anyone who wants to feel free for some hours, experience something special, and be out of the society’s usual routines. This could lead to a wider awareness of someone’s life, and even determine them to make changes in their life to feel more free in their day to day.

Marka, 21.03.25

I felt a sense of care — as if the sculptures were big, protective hands. The vibrations created by the participants felt like a gentle interaction with others who care for you, something you can simply receive. This can be especially healing for anyone who struggles with trust or feels vulnerable in social interactions.

The soft sculptures are made in duo during ritualistic sessions in our studio, involving movement, voicing and meditation in stillness. Here we tune into a full embodied presence together and allow the creative stream to move through us in a wordless dialogue. This silent dialogue includes aspects of deep listening and letting go of control. In this creative ritual, one of us initiates the cut on fabric and the other responds. Responding to each other’s cut line continues till the shape is complete. The sculptures are made from organic cotton and hemp and natural filling: buckwheat, millet and cherry pits.