OLO Company are bringing Soft Spot to the Edinburgh Fringe; a nerve-wracking contemporary circus duet combining object manipulation, physical theatre and 300 wine glasses. Using sliding wooden planks, juggling and handstands, real-life couple Stina Otterström and Arttu Lahtinen perform human Jenga as they build increasingly precarious structures that wobble constantly on the edge of collapse. Full of suspense and play, the show explores trust, instability and how people support one another when things stop going to plan.
Stina and Arttu kindly agreed to do a guest blog for us discussing what years of performing together, the trust they have and embracing uncertainty have taught them.
What Years of performing on the edge of collapse has taught us about trust, precision and embracing uncertainty.
What we have learnt after years as circus artists is that trust, communication and precision do not appear suddenly when we step on stage. They are built slowly, through years of practice, repetition, failure, adjustment and care. They come from working together, and from developing a relationship with our bodies, our props and each other.
In training and creation, we start with simple exercises and gradually build the level of difficulty. This is a long and careful process that allows us to develop trust not only in the technique, but also in ourselves, in each other and in the objects we work with. Only when we both feel safe, grounded and almost relaxed can we move towards something more challenging. The risk increases only after the foundations of trust have been built. Every time we reach a new level of difficulty, it does not feel like a sudden leap into danger because we have prepared ourselves step by step. We have created the communication, the understanding and the precision needed to meet that challenge.
Performing on the edge of collapse has taught us that precision is not only about executing a movement perfectly. Precision is also about deeply understanding the other person: their timing, their physical state, their intentions and their limits. In circus, a fraction of a second or a small shift in weight can change everything. Being precise means being completely present and able to listen with the whole body.
As artistic collaborators and life partners, we have learnt what it means to rely completely on another person. There is a difference between believing someone will not make a mistake and knowing that, if something unexpected happens, they will make the right decision in a split second. The first type of trust comes from knowing that someone has trained and prepared. The second type of trust is deeper: it is trusting their awareness, their instinct and their ability to adapt when reality does not follow the plan.
In our work, we cannot only trust that the other person will repeat a movement exactly as rehearsed. We have to trust that they will be able to respond when something changes. A body might be more tired than expected, an object might behave differently, or a movement might not happen exactly as planned. In those moments, there is no time for explanation. Communication happens through small signals: a change of pressure, a shift of balance, a breath, a look.
Years of working together have taught us how to read these signals and how to respond without hesitation. A big part of the trust between us comes from kindness. When the other person makes a mistake, even if that mistake could have bigger consequences for the other person, we trust that it does not come from carelessness. We trust that both of us are always doing our best. Because of this, we can respond with kindness rather than blame. We accept each other’s humanity and imperfection. This is also a big part of embracing uncertainty.
We feel that this is central to what Soft Spot is about. Even when every risk has been assessed, every movement considered and every routine rehearsed, we remain human. Mistakes and failures are always possible, and we want to leave space for that reality. We do not have any superpower or godlike ability to control everything. We are simply people trying to do something difficult together. We want to create a space where we can fail, forgive each other and continue. We also hope that the audience can recognise themselves in this: that they can accept their own vulnerability and understand that imperfection is part of being human.
We work towards taking risks in the safest way possible, but there will always be a possibility that something unexpected happens. Accepting this uncertainty is essential. If we try to deny it, the doubt remains in the back of our minds and can affect our focus, our communication and our ability to perform. To fully commit to a risky situation, we have to acknowledge the worst possible outcome and make peace with the fact that it exists. This does not mean we are careless or that we want danger. It means that we have accepted the reality of our choice, allowing us to be fully present in the moment.
Our trust also extends towards the audience. As performers, we believe in an unspoken contract with the audience: a mutual trust between those who lead and those who allow themselves to be led. The audience trusts us to take them on a journey, and we trust that they will follow us and engage with that journey. With that trust comes responsibility. It is our responsibility to care for their safety, both physically and emotionally.
Every artist has to decide what limits they are willing to approach. For us, one boundary is clear: we do not want to create a situation where we get hurt. Even if there is always a risk for it, we try to minimise that risk. After years of performing on the edge of collapse, we have learnt that trust is not the absence of fear. It is not believing that nothing will ever go wrong. Trust is knowing that when something does go wrong, you will not face it alone.
The deepest trust we have built is not the belief that everything will always go according to plan. It is the knowledge that, whatever happens, we will be present for each other and make the best decision we can in that moment.
Soft Spot will be performed at 8:30pm at Zoo Southside from 7th – 30th August.
Booking link: https://zoofestival.co.uk/programme/soft-spot/
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