FREIRAUM Salon #36
“Immersive India: Über Kama**, Kunst und Katharsis” (on Kama, Art and Catharsis) by and with Felizitas Stilleke & Ben J. Riepe
Wednesday, 19 feb
6 pm, FREIRAUM
For many years, curator and dramaturge Felizitas Stilleke has been connected with Ben J. Riepe through shared research interests; she has also repeatedly accompanied productions of the Ben J. Riepe Company as an “Outside Eye.”
In the context of their current joint research on questions of gathering, ritual, and spirituality in art, Felizitas will travel to India in February 2025. Along the Ganges—especially prominent this year due to the world’s largest festival, the Maha Kumbh Mela—she will journey from Prayagraj to Rishikesh: from the river’s source to the place where many pilgrims take a sacred bath and celebrate countless rituals, spiritual gatherings, and the principle of community.
With an openness of all five senses and an expanded “third eye,” she will experience immersive spaces and the spiritual power of assemblies during the two-week tour, tracing her impressions back to the origins of art: the rituals that provide our society with visions and utopias.
Info on the workshop: Felizitas will present her fresh experiences and thoughts immediately after her journey. The salon will open with a 30-minute breathwork session led by Ben Riepe, followed by a small sound journey, offering an acoustically and sensorially immersive access to Felizitas´ travel impressions.
In conversation with Ben J. Riepe, they will explore questions about the relevance of body and sensory experiences, as well as immersive spaces, in artistic work—not only within the Ben J. Riepe Company.
The workshop is held in German; previous knowledge is not necessary for participation.
The number of participants for the FREIRAUM Salon is limited. Please register informally by Friday, 14 feb, at: freiraum@benjriepe.com.
**Desire, love, and eroticism, but also the care for emotional needs.