This year's KIN Festival has just ended and in addition to a lot of happy guests who attended performances and workshops, the festival has also offered some fantastic collaborations!
There have been many both small and large local collaborations across Sydhavn – and also an international collaboration with UN LIVE during the festival, but in terms of sustainability there are two in particular that have been very special this year.
Theatrical Illusions Created from Recycling
Theatre requires props, costumes, and set designs – all of which are created for the universe of a single production, only to disappear again after the final performance. This is not very sustainable, unless we begin to consider what materials can be used to create these theatrical illusions. In general when we talk about sustainability, we often also talk about recycling – which quickly directs our gaze to the local recycling centre.
Sydhavn Teater has previously collaborated with the recycling centre at Bådhavnsgade, but during KIN FESTIVAL 2025 we not only collected items and recycled materials from the centre – we also had the pleasure of using their workshops to build set designs from those materials. This gave us an even greater opportunity to use as many recycled materials as possible. In this way, the majority of the costumes and the scenography for THE RITES OF WRECKAGE AND WASTE were created out of Sydhavn’s recycling centre – and, afterwards, dismantled and returned for further reuse wherever possible.
It has been a great pleasure to get to know the recycling centre better, and above all to discover how many resources can be found in what others can no longer use. There is no doubt that it makes sense to use recycled materials for scenography whenever possible: it is both economically and environmentally sustainable, and it only gets better when it can happen right here in our local community.
Mowing Grass with Scythes and Goats as Audience Members
Another important collaboration during this year’s KIN FESTIVAL was with Sydhavnstippen’s Nature Care initiative. We have previously collaborated with the dedicated group of locals who have joined forces to care for Sydhavnstippen’s natural environment, and we have always valued our collaborations. But in connection with this year’s KIN FESTIVAL, the collaboration took on a new form. Sydhavnstippen’s Nature Care hosts weekly Sunday sessions where everyone is welcome to take part in the hands-on work with the land and plants in the area. Artistic Director Tina Tarpgaard joined some of the group’s harvesting sessions, where she not only learned to mow with a scythe but also why it is important to cut down the tall grass in the area: harvesting simply promotes biodiversity, as it allows other plants to get the light and air they need to grow.
When we later looked for a location for the site-specific performance THE WINTER WAR, Sydhavnstippen proved to be perfect. And since we also needed to set up three small pavilions for the audience, it was only natural to lend a hand in mowing the tall grass. This benefitted both the visiting audience and biodiversity alike. We contributed to the harvest and, in return, gained the most fantastic location for THE WINTER WAR – a location that, incidentally, also included both goats and sheep as part of the audience during the performances. At the same time, we learned more about the nature care of Tippen and introduced Sydhavn’s wonderful green refuge to the guests who visited the festival. In every way, a collaboration that made sence for everyone involved including nature.
It is not always possible to build scenography and costumes entirely from recycled materials, and it is not always meaningful to stage performances among sheep and goats, but at Sydhavn Teater we are convinced that it makes sense to try out new solutions whenever possible – and this year’s KIN FESTIVAL has emphasised just how rewarding it can be.