Out of the Box

Sometimes the boxes we find ourselves in are not imposed upon us, but built gradually from the ways we learn to protect ourselves. Independence can become an armour. Pleasing others can become a way of staying safe. What once helped us navigate the world can, over time, become a place we no longer know how to leave.

Out of the Box explores the uneasy space between recognising these patterns and being ready to move beyond them. The transition is rarely graceful. There is uncertainty, resistance, exhaustion, and the temptation to return to what feels familiar, even when we know it no longer fits.

At the centre of the performance is the realisation that perhaps strength does not always mean pulling yourself out alone. Sometimes, moving forward means allowing another person to reach you and accepting the vulnerability of taking their hand.

The box may be something we built ourselves. But perhaps we were never meant to climb out of it alone.

Performance & Film by Martyna Jach
Installation support: Zeljko Santovac