Cabinet of Curiosities: Things That Aren’t Things (3)

Cabinet of Curiosities: Things That Aren’t ThingsJanuary 2026

Cabinet of Curiosities is ensemble Lemniscate’s new concert series, where each edition invites one composer to re-enter and reimagine their own artistic archive. Instead of presenting a retrospective, the series turns past works into living material: recurring ideas, signature gestures, and long-standing obsessions are recomposed into a new evening-length performance created collaboratively with the ensemble.

Our inaugural edition features Vienna-based artist Marina Poleukhina, known for her seamless blend of composition, improvisation, performance, movement, and the playful use of everyday objects. Together, we assemble a curated “cabinet” of micro-worlds: precisely notated moments, improvisational scenes, object-based actions, and movement-led situations – woven into a single dramaturgy with the composer performing onstage.

The format offers rare space for reflection in a fast-paced musical landscape, deepening collaboration between composers and performers, and giving audiences insight into how artistic languages evolve. This edition is created entirely by an all-women team, affirming women-led authorship and performance as a structural choice. With its tactile, lightly subversive approach and its mix of sound, objects, and movement, Cabinet of Curiosities invites curious listeners of all backgrounds into a generous, imaginative musical world.

Concert dates:

13 January, 2026 | Gare du Nord, Basel

17 January 2026 | PAKT, Bern

18 January 2026 | Walcheturm, Zurich

Lemniscate Team: 

Elena Rykova, Artistic Direction

Sophie Wahlmüller, production manager

Tatiana Timonina, flutes

Azra Ramić, clarinets

Maria Muñoz, violin

Katarina Leskovar, cello

Sound engineer:

Denim Szram