Coded Rituals is an investigation that starts from the vision of “the human” as a cultural construction. What has been left inside and outside this construction? How is it dehumanized within the rhetoric of the control of women’s bodies? How is the same done from cultural appropriation?
What do we understand as human? Is it something that covers us all?
These are necessary questions to confront the idea of the post-human.
On stage, Camila Scholtbach, through the body, and Nico Yurgaki, through sound, propose three different phases of a ritual that, groping, seeks to connect with the power of magic, of the metaphysical search, of the inexplicable, of the contact with the alchemical forces that seem to be uncontrollable for us.
First the private, individual ritual, that of recognizing oneself as someone apart from the world, an entity of one’s own, with one’s own will and desires.
The second is the milestone ritual, the ritual that makes us part of a community, an achievement, an event on a social scale that situates us, by which others recognize us in the world and we are given a role, a name, a common human characteristic.
A third ritual in search of collective ecstasy leads us to break the parameters of the constructed identity and connects us with the primary energy of expression through movement and sounds, giving space to the impulses and the incomprehensible in ourselves.
Rather than an explanation of what post-human can mean or give an answer, it is an exploration and a questioning of what is considered human or not through the expression of ritual.
Coded Rituals es una investigación que parte desde la visión de “lo humano” como construcción cultural. ¿Qué ha quedado dentro y fuera de esta construcción? ¿Cómo se deshumaniza dentro de la retórica del control del cuerpo de las mujeres? ¿Cómo se hace lo mismo desde la apropiación cultural?
¿Qué entendemos como humano? ¿Es algo que nos cobija a todes?
Son preguntas necesarias para confrontarse a la idea del post-humano.
En el escenario Camila Scholtbach a través del cuerpo y Nico Yurgaki, a través del sonido, nos proponen tres distintas fases de un ritual que, a tientas, busca conectar con el poder de la magia, de la búsqueda metafísica, de lo inexplicable, del contacto con las fuerzas alquímicas que parecen ser para nosotros incontrolables.
Primero el ritual privado, individual, el de reconocerse a sí mismo como alguien a parte del mundo, una entidad propia, con su voluntad y deseos.
La segunda el ritual hito, el ritual que nos hace parte de una comunidad, un logro, un evento a escala social que nos sitúa, por el que los otros nos reconocen en el mundo y se nos es otorgado un rol, un nombre, una característica humana común.
Un tercer ritual en búsqueda del éxtasis colectivo que nos lleve a romper los parámetros de la identidad construida y nos conecte con la energía primaria de la expresión a través del movimiento y el sonidos, dando espacio a los impulsos y a lo incomprensible que hay en nosotros mismos.
Más que una explicación de lo que puede significar post-humano o dar una respuesta, es más bien una exploración y un cuestionamiento a lo que se considera humano o no a través de la expresión del ritual.
Coded Rituals è un’indagine che parte dalla visione dell'”umano” come costruzione culturale. Cosa è rimasto dentro e fuori questa costruzione? Come viene disumanizzato all’interno della retorica del controllo del corpo delle donne? Come viene fatto lo stesso a partire dall’appropriazione culturale?
Cosa intendiamo per umano, ed è qualcosa che ci riguarda tutti?
Sono domande necessarie per affrontare l’idea del post-umano.
In scena, Camila Scholtbach, attraverso il corpo, e Nico Yurgaki, attraverso il suono, propongono tre diverse fasi di un rituale che, a tentoni, cerca di connettersi con il potere della magia, della ricerca metafisica, dell’inspiegabile, del contatto con le forze alchemiche che sembrano essere incontrollabili per noi.
Il primo è il rituale privato, individuale, il rituale del riconoscersi come qualcuno a parte dal mondo, un’entità propria, con la propria volontà e i propri desideri.
Il secondo è il rituale della pietra miliare, il rituale che ci rende parte di una comunità, una conquista, un evento su scala sociale che ci situa, grazie al quale gli altri ci riconoscono nel mondo e ci viene dato un ruolo, un nome, una caratteristica umana comune.
Un terzo rituale alla ricerca dell’estasi collettiva che ci porta a rompere i parametri dell’identità costruita e ci connette con l’energia primordiale dell’espressione attraverso il movimento e il suono, dando spazio agli impulsi e all’incomprensibile in noi stessi.
Più che una spiegazione del significato di post-umano o una risposta, si tratta di un’esplorazione e di una messa in discussione di ciò che è considerato umano o meno attraverso l’espressione del rituale.
Idea and creation:
Camila Scholtbach & Cistifellea Collective
Performer and choreographer:
Camila Scholtbach
Sound design and live sound:
Nico Yurgaki
Stage direction:
Elena Tilli
Costumes:
Yvonne Dicketmüller
Coproduction:
Theater Im Depot, Cistifellea Collective
Cistifellea ©2023 – All Rights Reserved
Composer, pianist, guitarist and percussionist specialized in Jazz and Afro-Caribbean music. Creator of soundtracks for audiovisuals and performing arts.
Song writer.
Double degree in Jazz Piano from the Universidad Javeriana de Bogotá, Colombia and the Escuela Superior de Música de Catauña, Spain.
Nicolás is the co-founder of the Cistifellea Collective together with the director and stage designer Elena Tilli, where he works as a sound designer, performer, and writer. His practice of improvisation and his emphatic approach during the process offers unique possibilities.
He investigates unconventional forms of participation of the public while attending a performance and as inspiration to his process with sound. He develops specific tools for interaction and builds custom-based small-scale instruments.
Using software, and electronic sounds, together with live played instruments, Nicolas allows himself a fullscale exploration that together with his wide versatility as a musician and composer, opens up a high level of complexity that translates into a beautiful, inspiring, and sometimes provocative experience for the public.
Nicolas is also a singer-songwriter, leader, and manager of the independent musical project Yurgaki since 2005.
Composer and co-producer of the projects Candombe Tierra, Sones de Marimba, Chonta Dura, in Barcelona.
His work has been presented internationally in countries such as Ecuador, United States, France, Italy, Croatia, Romania, Ecuador, Morocco, Azerbaijan, Colombia and Spain.
Nicolás also works as an educator for children, youth and adults. He promotes Afro-Caribbean music around the world through concerts and workshops where he spreads various musical genres, disseminating traditional music and transforming it through his own compositions.
Find out more at yurgaki.com
Elena is a multidisciplinary artist.
She insists on the body as the epicenter of scenic language while researching, studying, developing post-dramatic approaches to technological constructions she develops, engineers and builds.
Elena is the co-founder of the Cistifellea Collective together with the musician Nicolas Cristancho, in which she directs, and builds scenery, machines, and media design. She is also a video designer in the theater and her collaborations have been seen at The Kitchen Theater in New York, at the Barichstaadt Opera in Munich, and in public theaters in Barcelona.
After graduating in mechanical engineering (MA), Elena completed her education at Yale School of Drama studying Technical Design and Production and Design for Theater. She completed the three years program held by Claudia Castellucci at Scuola Conia Raffaello Sanzio focused on the Theory of Scenic Representation. Since 2021 Elena is an alumni Fellow at the Akademie für Theater und Digitalität, Dortmund with which she continues to partner and develop her work.
Elena creates visual experiences combining technical and technological elements, for a variety of artistic applications, such as performance, installations and theater productions. Her practice focuses on the process and aims to develop dramaturgies that inhabit technology, always guided by the commitment to find in the collaboration a unique and essential value.
n 2023 she directs, stage and technology design Coded Rituals together with Camila Scholtbach and NIcolas Yurgaki. The performance is co-produced by Cistifellea Collective and Theater Im Depot and it opened the Festival Beyond Gravity in November 2023.
In 2022, the performance Presence of Absent was funded by the Kulturbüro of the city of Dortmund and the NRW Kultur Sekretariät as part of the project Distant Land Vol I. It was seen at Lake Studios Berlin as a work in progress and later premiered at Theater Im Depot in February 2023.
With Cistifellea she directed the performances/long theater pieces Codes of Absence (2023), Presence of Absent (2022), Don’t Make it A Play (2022), Asuntos Humanos (2021), Todo Bien Todo Tranqui (2021), El Silencio no Existe (2020).
In 2023 she was the video designer and technologist in the theater piece Nomadas, premiering at Teatro OBando, Lisbon in April.
She also assisted video designer Susanne Steinmassl as a stage live camera coordinator, content creator and film editor in Die Nibelungen Festspiele in Worms in 2023.
In September 2022 she was part of Digital Body Archive residency at Lake Studios Berlin. Here she began, together with more than 15 fellows a research focusing on the principle of “no technology before need” (as suggested by TroikaRanch) as a start, to then tailor the technology she wanted to see by creating artwork that uses/misuses tech that was available.
In September 2022 she was also part of te project Togather with the installation titled Unlearning Journey into a virtual body. The project was funded by NRW Kultur Sekretariät and premiered at Favoriten Festival 2022 – Unlearning for Possible Futures.
With Cistifellea she directed the performances/long theater pieces Codes of Absence (2023), Presence of Absent (2022), Don’t Make it A Play (2022), Asuntos Humanos (2021), Todo Bien Todo Tranqui (2021), El Silencio no Existe (2020).
Find out more at elenatilli.com
