Orientalien, 2020
"When she turned to me I had this sudden transformation, I couldn’t hold my body, I was able to see the same but obviously was not seen the same. People were staring at me eyes wide open, their bodies were getting farther and farther from me, with an obvious gross out. First I realized my arms - 6 of them - it was not surprising at all. The guy in front, with an apron on, pointed at me his mouth wide open. I could see myself from the reflection on his eyes. Then I recalled the morning. When I woke up this morning from unsettling dreams, I found myself changed in my bed into a Blatta Orientalis."
In Orientalien, Ceylan Öztrük tells about adoption, self-transformation and embodiment of otherness in an auto-theory performance. The standpoint is the latter attitude; the metamorphosis of the body at post-otherness. Diving into the roots and purposes of the words orient and orientation, how does being the oriental stranger orient the body? As Öztrük dives into the aspects of being an alien, being an oriental and being an other. From alienation to orientalism this new scripted performance holds oriental dance in an existential experience with light and stage installations. The performance offers a new orientation and a new proposal to appropriate the alienation.
A continuation of her previous lecture performance, Oriental Demo, Ceylan Öztrük in a way creates a moment for herself to embody the alienation on stage, on her behalf, becomes another other with other others.
Konzept, Umsetzung, Stage Design, Performance: Ceylan Öztrük / Performance: Schirin Ghazivakilli / Konzeptionelle Mitarbeit: Felizitas Stilleke / Dramaturgische Beratung: Mona De Weerdt / Choreografische Beratung, Sound Design: Manuel Scheiwiller / Costumes and Styling: Laura Beham & Angela Thurnherr / Licht, Technik, Mitarbeit Bühnenbild: Iris Rohr / Produktion: Oliver Roth / Oeil Exterieur: Teresa Vittucci / Translation: Miriam Laura Leonardi / Text edit: Merve Ünsal / Music Arrangement: Leilaa Moon / Ko-Produktion: Gessnerallee Zürich