Soon:
with katrinem und MaxJoy @artspring
31.5.25, 6pm-8pm
site: Theater unterm Dach, Danzigerstraße 101, 10405 Berlin, Pankow
My broom story
During a three-week residency in Tehran in 2015, I became aware of the broom as the sounding instrument of a city. I woke up early in the morning when the neighbor was sweeping the path:
Swing, swing, swing, swing, swing,
short, short, short, short, short
Swing, swing, swing, swing, swing,
short, short, short, short, short.
In between a back and forth, that was the rhythm. Six months later I experienced something similar in Mexico City:
Swing, swing,
short, short,
Swing, swing, swing, swing,
short, short,
Swing, swing, swing, swing,
short, short.
A completely different rhythm—much stronger than in Tehran.
Since my time in Tehran and Mexico City, I often stop when I hear someone sweeping:
What does this broom sound like?
Can I trace a rhythm in the motion?
There are countless types of brooms, countless ways to sweep.
When the sound resonates and a graceful pattern emerges,
I know: the broom has found its player.
BesenBallett is a choreographed composition by composer and performance artist katrinem. The first score, KEHRPARTITUR (Sweeping Score), was created in 2020 for Klangwolke Linz – Sounding Linz.
Rather than forming a fixed ensemble, BesenBallett evolves as a social sculpture, fostering new dialogues between performers and listeners as they collectively engage with everyday urban spaces in a shared artistic experience.
Brooms, as both everyday tools and cultural artifacts, possess unique sounds and handling charac- teristics across the globe. From an artistic perspective, sweeping actions reveal inherent rhythmic and sonic qualities, transforming brooms into instruments of both dance and music.
In urban environments—where stone and asphalt dominate—the „action sites“ of sweeping become amplified by the surrounding architectural forms and surfaces. These spaces highlight the interplay of sound and movement, turning urban settings into dynamic, living environments to be experienced through both auditory and physical sensations.