G5A Warehouse Performance Grant | (to – mould) by Somya Kautia and Sarah Elsworth

(to – mould) is a dance performance exploring the movement potential of earthen pots and their ritualistic and sculptural connections to the female body. Created by interdisciplinary artists Somya Kautia (Mumbai, India) and Sarah Elsworth (New Zealand), it draws on the pot’s symbolism as a vessel that, like the body, holds, carries, and endures. Positioned as an anchor and silent witness, the earthen pot absorbs untold stories and carries what cannot be spoken.

The performance opens with a ritual, inviting the audience into a tactile experience with clay—a moment to slow down, reflect, and reconnect with material of the earth. Through movements that cycle, knead, balance, hold, fire, and break, the piece evokes emotional states and imagery, asking us to consider how we both shape and are shaped by our environment in a continuous interplay.