Florentina Holzinger's 'Bodensee Étude' turns Lake Constance into a ritual stage

Florentina Holzinger staged 'Bodensee Étude', a one-time performance on Lake Constance, as an extension of her Austrian Pavilion contribution 'Seaworld Venice' at the Venice Biennale. The 40-minute piece involved a helicopter transporting a 1.4-ton bell over the lake, which was submerged and later raised with Holzinger inside as a human clapper. Four drummers on shore created a dense soundscape while performers hung from a metal ring lifted from the water, executing a slow choreography. The performance drew over 3,000 spectators and incorporated local myths of sunken bells and water spirits. Holzinger, who comes from dance, describes water as a 'wet dream' where gravity is suspended. She has worked with monumental bells in her opera 'Sancta' and at the Biennale, viewing them as peace and warning alarms. The 'Études' series since 2020 experiments beyond theater spaces, using nature and infrastructure as choreographic elements. Holzinger sees Venice as a 'theme park for adults' where mass tourism and climate change are part of the spectacle.