Audrey Freeman @Elené Kristé
Genesis
In dialogue with Audrey Freeman
FVTVRIST Magazine // 26 February 2025
Interview by Elina P.
Photos by Elené Kristé
Fvtvrist meets Audrey Freeman just days after her latest performance in Paris. Audrey’s project, Maison Enclave, is a performance art house where ballet intersects with fashion, digital art, and immersive sound. No velvet curtains, no distant stage. Instead - Industrial spaces. Bodies moving within arm’s reach.
Its debut production, Genesis, premiered in Paris last week to a sold-out crowd. A collision of choreography, Rick Owens silhouettes, and minimal scenography, it marked the first chapter of an evolving project. We spoke with Audrey about building outside the institution, proximity as power, and why ballet doesn’t need a proscenium to exist.
Audrey Freeman @Elené Kristé
Audrey Freeman @Elené Kristé
Do you see Maison Enclave as a “total artwork,” or more as an interdisciplinary project?
I see it as a total artwork created through interdisciplinary collaboration. Each medium, dance, fashion, digital art or music contributes equally. If you remove one, the whole structure changes. It’s about creating one unified experience.
How do you choose your collaborators? Is it intuitive, or conceptual?
It started with choreography, I wanted to create something new and place it outside a traditional stage. Then I chose the space: an industrial venue with a clean, minimal potential. From there, it evolved organically. I met Manon Dubourdeaux for coffee and immediately knew we shared the same vision. For costume, I reached out to the Rick Owens team and Tyron Dylan. I presented the concept and a mood board, and step by step we built it together.
Working with Rick Owens was seamless, the team was generous and open to customizing and creating pieces specifically for the performance. The process felt very natural. Each collaborator brought their own vision, and together we shaped Genesis into what it became.
Audrey Freeman @Elené Kristé
Audrey Freeman @Elené Kristé
What is the conceptual idea behind the title Genesis?
Genesis represents the birth and origin of Maison Enclave. It’s the first movement, the first production, the first time all these collaborators came together. The aesthetic also aligned with the title, the dancers’ costumes were minimal, mesh, body-focused; the choreography blended classical ballet with contemporary movement. The atmosphere had something raw and elemental about it. The title felt right.
How do you see Genesis evolving?
After the first show, the main reaction was: “We want more.” So we plan to bring Genesis back, likely in a new location, and extend it by 15–20 minutes, adding new chapters and dancers while keeping the core elements, the Rick Owens looks, lighting, music, and overall energy. At the same time, we’re developing entirely new productions with different concepts and atmospheres. There’s a lot in progress.
One striking element of the performance was how physically close the audience was to the dancers. Will you keep that proximity?
Absolutely. That’s central to the project. I want to move away from the distance of opera houses, where audiences sit formally and far from the stage. I love seeing dancers up close. In Genesis, depending on where you sat, you could experience it from different angles - front, side, elevated. That intimacy is something I’ll always keep. Eventually, I’d like to push it further — perhaps even into interactive territory.
Would you like to deepen audience engagement?
Yes. We’re working on a project planned for October involving an immersive sound system, digital art, and dancers integrated within the audience. It will run for five consecutive nights. I can’t reveal too much yet, but it will be highly immersive: sound, digital art, live performance and involve strong French artists as well.
Do you see Maison Enclave staying in Paris, or touring internationally?
Touring was always part of the original vision. We’re exploring opportunities to bring Genesis to New York. London, Venice, Berlin and other cities. The goal is to travel across Europe and potentially the U.S., adapting each performance to new spaces while maintaining its identity.
FIN
About Audrey Freeman
Audrey Freeman (b. 2003) is a classically trained ballet dancer educated at the Royal Ballet in London. She is a gold medalist of Youth America Grand Prix and one of the Prix de Lausanne youngest contestants.
After beginning her career within the traditional ballet system, Freeman expanded her practice beyond opera-house stages, performing in galleries, private cultural events, and brand collaborations including Cartier. Now based in Paris, she is the founder of Maison Enclave, a couture performance art house merging ballet, fashion, digital art, and immersive environments.
