Dark MatterS – Winter Festival

A winter festival at Lavanderia a Vapore

Dark MatterS is the winter festival held at the Lavanderia a Vapore in Collegno, near Turin: one of the most important dance residency centers in Piedmont, housed in the restored spaces of the former laundry of the Certosa Reale asylum. It is a short-format event, concentrated over a weekend during the winter season, which weaves together dance performances, immersive shows, installations, workshops, and meetings.

The theme: darkness as space-time

The festival's title plays with the physics concept of dark matter to transform it into a verb: darkness is not an absence, but a space-time in which to learn to see the present and future through different lenses. The project focuses on issues of blindness and Afro-descendant identity, giving visibility to visually impaired and Afro-descendant artists. It is an invitation to decolonize dominant aesthetic canons and to experience darkness, sleep, dreams, and the body as a tool for orientation firsthand.

A network of collaborations

Dark MatterS was born as a project by Lavanderia a Vapore in collaboration with Black History Month Torino and the Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired of Turin, with the support of the Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo. This network gives the festival a dimension that goes beyond the performance itself: every edition is also an opportunity for discussion on marginalization and inclusion, built together with the communities involved.

Where it takes place

All events are held at the Lavanderia a Vapore, at Corso Pastrengo 51 in Collegno, on the outskirts of Turin and easily accessible from the Piedmontese capital. Some performances move out of the indoor spaces and venture into the Certosa park, such as the night walks with blindfolded audiences, an integral part of the sensory experience offered by the festival.

Who it is for

• Fans of contemporary dance and performing arts
• Those looking for immersive and sensory experiences outside conventional circuits
• Families, thanks to dedicated events such as sensory paths
• Those interested in themes of inclusion, accessibility, and Afro-descendant cultures