The Dew Point

At the heart of the project lies artist Kristina Norman’s personal process of renovating a Soviet-era sauna in the Estonian countryside with her father, who was a conscript in the Soviet army in 1977/78. Combining video documentation of the construction process with a retelling of her father’s stories through a live performer, the performance opens up the liminal experience in the Baltic region, both mental and physical, in which the dew point marks a potential moment of poetic transformation.

Kristina Norman (EE) is an artist based in Tallinn, whose interdisciplinary work includes video installations, sculptures, documentary films, and performances. She has represented Estonia twice (in 2009 and 2022) at the international Venice Art Biennale, and her 2019 performance “Lighter Than Woman” received wide recognition and acclaim. Norman’s works are marked by a deep sensitivity to human struggles, offering the viewer a chance for personal recognition.

AUTHOR, PERFORMER Kristina Norman (EE)
PERFORMER Katrin Essenson (EE)
ASSISTING DIRECTOR Meelis Muhu (EE)
DRAMATURGIES Katharina Joy Book (DE/US), Oliver Issak (EE)
ASSISTANT RESEARCHER Minna Henriksson (FI)
VIDEO Erik Norkroos (camera), Meelis Muhu (camera/video editing), Danek Kaunissaare (sound post-production / EE)
TEXTS IN ENGLISH EDITED BY Klaire Kolmann (EE)
SUBTITLES Tom Karik (EE)
VIDEO LIVE OPERATOR Erik Norkroos
SOUNDSCAPE, SCENOGRAPHY, GRAPHIC DESIGN Raul Keller (EE)
TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS AND SUPPORT Kalle Tikas (EE)
LIGHT DESIGN Heikki Paasonen / Kiasma Theatre (FI)
VISUALS/PHOTOS Kristina Norman, Minna Henriksson, Raul Keller
PRODUCTION Annika Üprus, Kaie Küünal / Kanuti Gildi SAAL (EE)
CO-PRODUCERS Baltic Circle festival (Helsinki), Kanuti Gildi SAAL (Tallinn / https://saal.ee/), Barents Spektakel festival / Pikene pa Broen (Kirkenes / https://www.pikene.no/)

SUPPORTERS Nordic Culture Point, Gwaertler Stiftung, Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Ministry of Culture of Estonia

RESIDENCY SUPPORT Copper Leg Art Residency

DURATION 90 min
LANGUAGE The performance is in English, with some Russian and Estonian used in documentary video materials, with English translations in subtitles. At the festival, Czech subtitles will also be provided.