Knead
Images by Ottilie Landmark
“Of course, fashion and the stage are both familiar territories for frank explorations of sex, but there are a few features that make this approach feel so radical.”
Presented by Sinead O’Dwyer, Knead is a durational performance exploring character, embodiment, sex and the agency of garments, choreographed by Grace Nicol. The work brings forward a constellation of archetypal figures from the brand’s lexicon. They are familiar, unexpected, and evolving through their interaction with each other, clothing and space, revealing shifting states of sensuality, presence and self-definition. Moving within the work, viewers witness quiet and heightened moments as performers test the edges of sensation and the possibilities that emerge between body, material and gaze. This work extends the lives of the characters that inhabit the brand's AW25 collection onto the stage.
Performance took place at the Pit Theatre on the 29th November 2025, and was commissioned by Susanna Davies-Crooks as part of the Barbican’s Dirty Weekend.
Show Credits:
Creative Direction: Sinéad O’Dwyer
Choreographer: Grace Nicol
Performers: Temitope Ajose, Flo Pearl, Maddison Areceli, Aoise O’Dwyer, Avery, MilkMaiden
Casting: Emma Matell in collaboration with Lover Management
Styling: Ai Kamoshita
Boots: Sinéad O’Dwyer in collaboration with Tabitha Ringwood
Make-Up: Lynski
Hair: Moe Mukai
Nails: Nanaka Tanzaki
Sound: Witchtrials with live improvisation on viola from Aoise O’Dwyer
Lighting Design: Jo Palmer
Producers: Helios Blanc (film) and Claire Murphy (performance)
Show Production: Reena Kalsi
Styling Assistants: Samantha Lange, Daisy Unwin
Hair Assistants: Motoharu Iwaizumi, Miki Ide
Make-up Assistants: Quelle Bester, Luz Giraldo
Photography: Ottilie Landmark @ottilielandmark
PR: We are Raven @weareraven
Supported by Centre 151 and Studio Wayne McGregor Free Space.