Figure

When ballet meets runway

When ballet meets runway
Clothing is part of virtually every dance work — that’s nothing new. But what happens when fashion transcends its role as costume? When choreography, music, and narrative flow from clothing design, rather than the other way around? In Figure, fashion designer Lisa Konno invites you on her quest to answer that question. Together with choreographer Peter Leung, she creates an innovative cross-over between fashion show and dance performance, where the sound of her designs — which combine textiles with ceramics — determines both the music and the movements. At the same time, Figure tells a personal coming-of-age story, in which Konno’s wearable artworks symbolize how fashion can be both liberating and constraining in different life stages.

Clothing as a musical instrument

During her first exploration of combining textiles and ceramics — for her solo exhibition The Porcelain Body in 2024 — Lisa Konno discovered the beauty of the ticking, creaking, and jingling sounds produced when ceramics move around a body. In Figure, she continues her research into the many possibilities of these sounds. Her unique garments, crafted from textile and ceramic, evolve into musical instruments and simultaneously form the foundation of the movement vocabulary that choreographer Peter Leung created for the project.

From means of expression to ceramic corset

In addition to the music and choreography, the narrative of Figure is also shaped by Konno’s creations. Through her garments, the audience is guided through a woman’s life journey, experiencing how her relationship with her appearance and beauty changes across the different stages of her life. The works also illustrate the various roles that fashion can play — from a means of expression to a rigid ceramic corset. When does fashion empower, and when does it oppress? And how can fashion have relevance without imposing ideals of beauty?