Felix Mathias Ott whose works seem like a contemporary call to mythology reaches India and meets artists and collaborators in a land where there is no real separation from mythology and reality. Unlike in the West, he finds that Gods and warriors from myths exist in the midst of contemporary day-to day life in the East.

„Ramanaya“ is an attempt to explore the fundamental Indian myth, the Ramayana. This collaboration brings together German Director Felix Mathias Ott, his partner in art ,Video-artist Benjamin Brix and two performers from India, Puja Sarup and Vinod Ravindran. As they explore the myth, their quest is to find an adhesive, the in-between so to speak, or the playground to create this multi media performance through movement, film and theatre, in order to find a common ground in this landscape that cuts through myth, stories, reality and art. The performance finds an entry into the revered epic through a sketched model, made of material recycled from junk and debris. That landscape, a kind of mind map, will be used as the first playground, a place where infinite scenarios unfold in front of the spectators. The two storytellers find an entry into this landscape and get carried away by the force of what they discover. As they journey in this stream, they find new perspectives in its surreal world and the myth reveals itself in new and unexpected ways. The spectator is invited to join the performers on their journey, discover this world with them and, perhaps even find their own answers to the questions they are confronted with.

Cast:
Directed by: Felix Mathias Ott
Produced by: Sandbox Collective
Performed by: Puja Sarup and Vinod Ravindran
Video Artist: Benjamin Brix
Sound Design: Nikhil Nagaraj, Adam Asnan
Production Manager: Bharavi
Production Assistance: Deepankar Pai
Poster Design: Jugal Mody

Performances:
Prepremiere: 3, February 2018. 7: 00PM Adishakti, Pondicherry
Premiere: 9, February 2018. 7:30 PM Ranga Shankara, Bangalore
10, February 2018. 3:30 and 7:30 PM Ranga Shankara, Bangalore

Supported by:
The International Co-production fund of the Goethe Institut.
Tanzfabrik, Berlin, APAP and the Creative Europe programme of the European Union,

BangaloREsidency programme of the Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhawan, Bangalore Shoonya, Center for Art and Somatic Practices, The Company Theatre Workspace, Kamshet Adishakti Laboratory for Theatre Art and Practice Pondicherry.

Special thanks and acknowledgements:

Maru Mushtrieva, Christoph Bertrams, Amandine Claire Elodie Cheveau, Veenapani Chawla, Nrityagram, Aarti Aney, Sal Sheriff, Sudha Sudanthi, Bella, Kamosh Shah, Samhita Arni