Oleg Soulimenko
MEET THE SHAMAN
When does an action start becoming a ritual? What do rituals mean to us today? And how can we create rituals inspired by our personal histories, our environment and culture? These are the questions MEET THE SHAMAN tackles. Based on a research trip to Buryatia, where he encountered Siberian shamans, Oleg Soulimenko approaches the issues of shamanism and rituals. The shamans in Buryatia work with the nature around them, drawing on a rich heritage of ancient traditions and ritual practices. They have a culture, in which mysticism plays a key role in people’s every-day lives. Such encounters are the source of inspiration for a search for one’s own rituals and the place they can assume in our mostly rationalised Western reality.
Soulimenko sets out on his exploration with deliberate naivité, paired with passionate, incorruptible sincerity. Together with a video piece by artist Anna Jermolaewa, live sound by dieb13 and the shamanist know-how of performer Andreas Hirsch, he paves the way for the audience to explore a new kind of ritual experience.
Oleg Soulimenko lives and works in Vienna and has been a guest at brut with his works several times in the past, most recently in June 2014 with Good Night, Vienna! A Mystical Adventure Tour through Vienna.
Secret Ingredients: RITUAL TODAY
Every night preceding MEET THE SHAMAN, Oleg Soulimenko invites various artists to delve into the topic of ritual both physically and artistically. Everything is possible, ranging from lectures to miniature concerts and video works. Each time, this results in a different kind of attunement for the performance and a new approach to searching for rituals in our time. Admission free!
15 April 2015, 8 pm
Seminar Elisabeth von Samsonow: Shamans of the Earth and The Art
10.15 pm, following the performance MEET THE SHAMAN: The Great Summoner by DJ homme noir
16 April 2015, 8 pm
Videos by Kjetil Skoeien, Kris Lemsalu, Max Hooper Schneider, Dieter Kovačič
10.15 pm, following the performance MEET THE SHAMAN: Repeat Re-Beat by Dj Sausage Meat
17 April 2015, 8 pm
Music performances: Matija Schellander: The Drill, Oliver Stotz: Music for Pieces of Wood
10.15 pm, following the performance MEET THE SHAMAN: My Siberia von DJ Sihierty
Concept, artistic direction and performance Oleg Soulimenko Video Anna Jermolaewa Special guest Andreas Hirsch Live music dieb13 Text consultant Rosemarie Poiarkov Stage and costume design Lena Winkler-Hermaden, Oleg Soulimenko Costume consultant Anke Philipp Theoretical Input Elisabeth von Samsonow Light Sabine Wiesenbauer Sound Christina Bauer Prduction Andreas Fleck Produktion Assistant Kaie Olmre Assistant Jasmin Hoffer
A co-production by Oleg Soulimenko/Vienna Magic and brut Wien. With the kind support of the City of Vienna’s Department of Cultural Affairs.