Interview with Stina Otterström and Arttu Lahtinen

Ahead of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, I had the pleasure of speaking with circus artists and real-life partners Stina Otterström and Arttu Lahtinen, founders of OLO Company, about their extraordinary new production, Soft Spot. Built around 300 wine glasses, the show combines contemporary circus, physical theatre and breathtaking feats of balance to explore trust, communication and vulnerability. We discussed creating work together as partners on and off stage, embracing risk, and why sometimes the most fragile moments create the most powerful theatre.

For anyone discovering Soft Spot for the first time, how would you describe the show?

Soft Spot is a delicately choreographed exploration of vulnerability and trust, where two circus artists challenge each other through daring games with wine glasses. As sliding, throwing, and catching these fragile objects evolves from something frightening into something mesmerizing, the perception of risk begins to shift. The possibility of failure remains present, but it no longer carries the same weight; instead, the fragile tower of wine glasses reveals its elegance when standing on the verge of collapse. Through a combination of handstanding, juggling, dexterity, and balance, the two artists create a world where precision and uncertainty coexist, inviting the audience to embrace the beauty of vulnerability alongside them.

Where did the original idea of building an entire performance around wine glasses come from?

The idea for S Soft Spot grew out of Stina’s solo handstand act. Before starting our own company, we worked together in productions for other companies in which each of us had a couple of solo acts. One of them was Stina’s handstand act with wine glasses which Arttu watched night after night, and over time so many ideas emerged that he thought about turning it into a full-length performance. From the beginning, it was clear that the show would focus on the wine glasses, although for a while we were open to including a broader variety of elements, such as juggling rings, which are Arttu’s specialty. As the creation process continued, it became increasingly clear that we wanted to stay concentrated on the wine glasses: their unique physical properties as objects and the meanings theycarry. The wooden planks, on the other hand, support and deepen this exploration of the wine glasses. We felt there was already enough to discover within this world, and that introducing other elements

would be distracting and confusing, as they simply didn’t belong to the same universe for us.

What makes wine glasses the perfect object to explore trust and vulnerability?

One of the first things we found interesting about wine glasses is of course, their inherent fragility. We all know how delicate wine glasses can be and how careful we have to be when handling them. At the same time, as we began working with them more and more, we quickly realized how surprisingly strong they actually are. For most people, wine glasses are synonymous with fragility, but the way we use them is challenging that expectation and makes space for the feeling of trust. Their “secret strength” is what we rely on to reveal that strength can exist within vulnerability, and that what appears fragile is not necessarily weak.

The other characteristic that made them so relevant to us is how familiar they are without being an everyday object. They are closely associated with special occasions, unlike water glasses, which are so common that we hardly notice them. It felt like wine glasses had the right balance of familiarity and significance to communicate our exploration of trust and vulnerability with the audience.

You’re partners both on stage and in real life. How does that relationship influence the work you create together?

This is a difficult question because, when we create work, we are so focused on the process itself that we rarely stop to reflect on how our relationship is influencing that work.What we can say for sure is that, by being life partners, we already have an established way of communicating, a strong foundation of trust, and a deep respect for each other. This allows us to be creative without boundaries and to approach disagreements in a constructive and healthy way. We also quickly established that our relationship is more important than the work itself. This helps us

prioritize kindness over efficiency when needed, which ultimately creates a better working environment and gives us more space to create.

How much of Soft Spotis precisely choreographed, and how much relies on reacting in the moment?

Most of Soft Spot is precisely choreographed, as working with wine glasses requires a high level of control and precision. However, there are a few moments in the show that can have different possible outcomes, meaning that depending on how everything unfolds, the performance can move in one direction or another.

When performing at a festival last summer, we had a couple of colleagues who came to see the show several times. This surprised us, because at first glance it might seem that the performance would be exactly the same each time. However, there are always unexpected things happening, either on stage or in the audience which requires reacting in the moment.

What have years of performing with genuine risk taught you about trust?

As circus artists, we do have to develop an intimate relationship with risk and through the presence of risk we also learn to trust. We have learnt that trust, or confidence, is an essential ingredient when dealing with risk and especially when achieving risky things. In order to increase the risk, trust has to be built up as well, both with the equipment but also with a partner. For us, it is essential that both of us are fully committed before taking a risk. If one of us has doubts, the other will never try to convince them to continue because we believe that taking a risk while feeling uncertain increases the possibility of something going wrong. Trusting each other also means knowing when to stop.

In the case of Soft Spot, an untrusted risk can have serious consequences. Something our experience working with this show has taught us is the importance of trusting each other in addressing the risks: communicating, evaluating situations together, and making decisions as a team.

How do you communicate with one another during the performance without saying very much?

When the choreography doesn’t go as planned or if one of us is having a harder time at one point, we don’t usually need to think about communicating about it with the other. We know each other and

the material so well that we can instantly recognise and adapt to the conditions.

If circumstances during the show requires us to communicate, it is often been enough to whisper a few words to each other. The thematic and the style of the show allows for that type of interaction though we still try to keep it discreet while making sure that the situation is handled properly. In those moments, the priority is always to support each other and keep the performance moving.

One example was when Arttu’s trousers unexpectedly ripped during a show. We had to quickly find a way to adapt the choreography and switch roles for one scene, allowing Arttu to go backstage and change into a new pair of trousers without interrupting the flow of the performance. Occasions like this remind us how important communication, trust, and flexibility are when performing together.

The show explores uncertainty. Why do you think audiences connect so strongly with that theme?

We believe that in our contemporary social structures, many people struggle with high performance pressure, and that making space for uncertainty and failure in our show is a way for us to communicate the possibility of an alternative.

When creating the show, it was crucial that the dramaturgical arc would take the audience on this journey. This is not a theme that can simply be placed on stage; it needs to be experienced. We felt that, as the artists on stage, we already occupy a paradoxical position: we are in charge of and in control of the show, the audience follows us, but at the same time we are in an extremely exposed position. Every movement is observed, and every misstep is noticed. Deciding to embrace this double-

sided position and connect it to the theme of uncertainty felt very natural. We believe that this contributes to the audience’s ability to connect with the theme.

How did creating the soundtrack using the sounds of wine glasses help shape the atmosphere of the production?

Since the glasses are at the centre of the piece, both physically and thematically, the idea of integrating their sounds into the soundtrack came intrinsically. It felt obvious that they should be part of the auditory experience in the same way that they are part of the visual experience. Because it happened so evidently, we believe that it strengthens the delicacy already present in the atmosphere of the piece.

The sounds of the glasses feel very natural within the piece. Often, the audience may not consciously notice them during the performance, but there are moments when the sounds make the viewer question whether they are coming from the glasses on stage or from the soundtrack itself. Which brings an extra intangible layer into the room.

Contemporary circus continues to evolve. Where do you think Soft Spot fits within that landscape?

We are not circus historians, but we feel that there are two recent tendencies that can be observed in the evolution of contemporary circus, and that Soft Spot is connected to. One is the emergence of performances that focus strongly around a single discipline, a specific type of material, or one particular object. Which is moving away from the traditional circus that used to promote the broader possible variety of acts. The other is a renewed concentration on circus itself.

After the emergence of new circus shows, which incorporated theatre and dance in order to create an overall artistic cohesion, contemporary circus gradually began moving away from adding external art forms as a way of structuring performances. In recent years, we feel that more and more artists are stripping away these additional layers and rather explore more deeply the essence of circus itself. In this sense, we feel that Soft Spot continues to move away from the types of performances traditionally presented in circus, while at the same time, perhaps paradoxically, reconnecting with some of the fundamental traditions of circus.

What do you hope audiences are thinking about as they leave the theatre?

We hope that the audience leaves the theatre with many thoughts and questions. We hope they reflect on the transformation and progression that takes place throughout the performance - the journey from the beginning to the end, and how the relationship with the wine glasses changes along the way. We also hope that they question what they are seeing: which moments are carefully planned, which moments contain uncertainty, and how such fragile objects can withstand what we ask of them. Beyond the physicality of the performance, we hope audiences connect with the deeper themes of fragility and vulnerability. We want the show to create a space where imperfection is not something to hide from, but something that can be embraced. Through the relationship between control and uncertainty, we hope to invite the audience to reflect on their own relationship with vulnerability.

Finally, if you could describe Soft Spot in just three words, what would they be and why?

Sharp, Breathtaking, Unexpected. Sharp, because the show requires precision, focus, and constant awareness. The wine glasses are delicate but demanding, and every movement has to be carefully considered as sharply as the edge of a piece of glass. Breathtaking, because we hope that audiences experience moments of tension, beauty, and wonder that stay with them after the performance. Unexpected, because the performance constantly plays with the audience’s expectations. Wine glasses are familiar objects that we usually associate with care and fragility, yet on stage they become something completely different moving from those vulnerable common objects into a strong material at the centre of the performance. The show invites the audience to question what they think they know about the objects in front of them.

A huge thank you to Stina and Arttu for taking the time to speak with me and for offering such a fascinating insight into the creation of Soft Spot. The production makes its Edinburgh Fringe premiere at ZOO Southside (Main House) from 7th to 30th August (excluding 11th, 17th and 24th August) at 8:30pm. You can find out more and book tickets via: https://zoofestival.co.uk/programme/soft-spot/