“I just want to lie there, shirt open, and take my hits and see, and see.”

A certain earthly material enchants our protagonist Brad, who has drifted into a life crisis and a type of raw condition. He works on the clay and caresses it. He feels the need to unite with it. He wants to decay into it.

Amor fati focuses on an ancient relationship: the co-existence of human and clay. The piece looks at a Californian, celebrated human body combining with red clay, and meditates on the materiality of life. Amor fati is a living and dying sculpture which uses our concept of love as material. It releases Brad, a prisoner of his own narrative, and lets him romp with the clay to his heart’s content.

The play premiered at Kiasma Theater, as part of ARS17 exhibition. Since then it has been performed at Tampere Theater Festival, Hanko Theater Festival and Finnish National Theater.

Directed by Anna-Mari Karvonen & Anni Puolakka  |  Text: Anna-Mari Karvonen & Anni Puolakka together with Samuli Niittymäki and Tatu Nenonen  |  Stage and Light Design: Heikki Paasonen  |  Sound Design: Tatu Nenonen  |  Artistic Advice: Children of the Vironniemi Nursery  |  Cast: Samuli Niittymäki, Anni Puolakka, Tatu Nenonen and Anna-Mari Karvonen