On the right, longing bares it’s teeth, on the left, lust screeches at the abyss. In semi-darkness, clay figures and puppets lie in wait. They are audacious and despairing, egoistic and vulnerable. “One need not be a chamber to be haunted.” This principle borrowed from Emily Dickinson not only inspired the title of one of her works, it also goes to the very heart of the Djurberg universe. The Swedish artist Nathalie Djurberg, in close collaboration with the composer Hans Berg, leads audiences through an imaginary labyrinth somewhere between heaven and hell.

In complex stop-motion films the duo arouses a universe burgeoning with people, animals and fantasy figures — all impelled by madness, hallucinations and drives. Unlit passages and half-storeys emerge without warning into a dazzling spotlight. The surreal scenarios and nightmarish visions get under people’s skin and leave audiences to their own devices.