S A L A R

The project explores the salt flats of the Atacama Desert, where lithium is mined to drive Europe’s transition to so-called renewable energies.

Drawing on the alchemical properties of salt and lithium, as well as the atmospheric, biological and cultural dimensions of sedimentary salt lakes in the desert, S A L A R develops a contemporary-ancestral mythology rooted in Andean Futurism. Drawing on quantum physics and non-linear conceptions of matter, energy and relationships, the work explores connections between bodies, minerals, technologies and ecosystems. In doing so, it examines lithium extraction and extractivism within the interplay of ecological, spiritual, technological and colonial interdependencies.

The version presented at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW) is a preview of the performance. Whilst the final version of the work is to be staged in an immersive ‘stage-within-a-stage’ format, the artists are trialling a frontal arrangement at the HKW that has been developed specifically for the Miriam Makeba Auditorium.

Avant Première

Co-production with Tanzquartier Wien, DeSingel Arts Campus Antwerp and Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW). Funded by the City of Vienna’s Department of Culture.

• Miriam Makeba Auditorium

Part of the programme: Fertile Void, 2026.

Fertile Void | HKW Haus der Kulturen der Welt

The project takes place as part of Berlin Science Week.

To assist with planning, all guests attending Berlin Science Week are asked to register for a Festival Centre Pass via pretix.eu.

Visitors to Fertile Void who do not wish to, or are unable to, provide personal data may still gain entry without a Festival Centre Pass.