ÉLIXIR DE MER

JOHANNA NUUTINEN +COLLABORATORS

Photo Kai Kuusisto

Photo Kai Kuusisto

Photo Kai Kuusisto

Photo Kai Kuusisto

Photo Kai Kuusisto

Photo Kai Kuusisto

Photo Kai Kuusisto

Photo Kai Kuusisto

Photo Kai Kuusisto

— PROJECT NAME

Élixir de Mer


— ROLE

Costume Design


— DATE

25.9.2025


— URL

https://johannanuutinen.com/works/elixir-de-mer/

Élixir de Mer invites the audience into a corporeal ritual where experiences of different senses interlace into a physical tapestry.


The work draws inspiration from the sense of smell and its ability to awaken embodied memories, as well as from the refined techniques of perfume-making—the ritualistic devotion of extracting elixirs.


Perfumes were already used in ancient Egypt for seduction and as symbols of power. Scents also offered a means to connect with divine figures, opening communication between heaven and earth. Beyond pleasure, the sense of smell carries social taboos, for the experience of scent brings another body close; it opens a space of shared intimacy.


In our world dominated by sight, the physicality of odors tunes our bodies to vibrate, and Élixir de Mer explores their resonance through dance, sound, and space. It seeks the layered harmonies of scents that remain within us for weeks, months, years.


DIRECTOR: Johanna Nuutinen

DANCERS: Clémentine Herveux, Manon Andral

CHOREOGRAPHY: Johanna Nuutinen in collaboration with Clémentine Herveux, Manon Andral

DRAMATURG: Riikka Laakso

SOUND DESIGNER AND COMPOSER: Ville Kabrell

LIGHT DESIGNER AND TECHNICAL PRODUCER: Lauri Lundahl

COSTUME DESIGNER: Joona Huotari-Andreou

SPATIAL DESIGERS: Johanna Nuutinen, Lauri Lundahl

SCENTS PROVIDED BY: Eero Niskanen / Sevende Aromas

PRODUCERS: Aurora Millasnoore, Johanna Nuutinen

PRODUCTION: Johanna Nuutinen +Collaborators

PROMO PICTURES: Maisa Immonen

PERFORMANCE PICTURES: Kai Kuusisto

PERFORMANCE TRAILER: Teemu Kyytinen