DOKU_odyssey complex_2014

Dokumentationsmaterial
1) Kritiken
The use of lighting, rainfall and a projected background brought Odyssey Complex o life. Photo: ben brix
Tanz-Jahrbuch 2013:
„Hoffnungsträger“ Felix Mathias Ott
Das geht ja nicht. Da hat er jahrelang in Berlin Choreograpie studiert, und nun erklärt er uns wie Hollywoodfilme funktionieren.
Ein Tag beginnt wie jeder Tag. Plötzlich passiert ein Unglück, irgend was Unverhofftes geschiet. Schon geht’s vom Alltag mittenmang ins
Inferno. Hollywood schaute sich das bei Homer ab, bei Odysseus, der troja erledigt hat. Und nach getanem Job nach Hause will. Aber
alles geht schief, nichts mehr läuft nach plan. Die Welt bricht über Felix Mathias Ott zusammen. Was in seinem Solo „ Odyssey
Complex“ als nette Bühnen-Lecture beginnt, schwemmt in Sekunden später durch 4000 Liter Wasser aus der Regenmaschiene in die
Odyssee. Ott rettet sich auf den Tisch, der weiße Flipchart wird zum Segel, mit einem Mopp rudert er vom Zyclopen zu den Sirenen.
Sein Gegner bleibt: die Bühne selbst. Eine Ladung Sand kippt vom Himmel, und steile Zuschauerränge sind das Gebirge, das er-mit
dem Tisch als zusätzlichem Gegengewicht- Reihe für Reihe mühsam erklimmt. Ungefähr hier ist das Publikumdas ihm solidarisch zum
Gipfel hoch hilft, endgültig aus dem Häuschen.
Denn erstens macht Ott es tatsächlich mit so viel Suspense und Humor wie ein besserer Hollywoodfilm, zweitens wird dieser von
Spannung gut getarnte Körpereinsatz nie zur eitlen Selbstzweck- Choreographie, drittens ist der Kerl, der aus einer Schauspielfamilie
stammt, auf der ein echtes Vollblut. Viertens, und vielleicht am sympathischen, ist der Umstand, dass er dort zwar alle Register zieht,
auch Film und viel Musik beimischt, sich aber keine Sekunde um irgendwelche DOS and Don'ts der zeitgenössischen Diskurspolizei
schert. Nichts kam in dieser Saison kräftiger, komischer, kribbliger daher- und das ist sein Problem. Welches Theater will schon etwas
zeigen, das wirklich Spass macht und dabei noch richtig intelligent ist?
Arnd Wesemann
The hindu, February 5, 2013
Interpreting Ulysses
PEOPLE Felix Mathias Ott’s Odyssey Complex reflects a personal journey
Straddled between film and performing and installation, the Odyssey Complex is German choreographer
Felix Mathias Ott’s playground where movement does all the talking. As a part of the Attakalari Biennial
under the banner of Germany And India 2011 – 2012: Infinite Opportunities, Odyssey Complex is Felix’s
first, big performance and he thought it was befitting for him to start at the beginning of dramaturgy with
the Ulysses.
He stresses repeatedly, “It is not an adaptation or retelling of the Ulysses but rather an interpretation. I take
the heroes journey and try to reflect my own,” and each person watching can interpret their own odyssey.
The performance began with a lecture of sorts before Felix dove into a surrealistic narration that visits all
A relevant classicThe Odyssey is contemporary, says Felix
the little islands of aesthetics – film, performance and installation. “With the different media I only give the audience a picture from which they can conjure their own
story – I don’t want to propose to them my odyssey.”
Felix was bitten by a tick, which lead to an infection which produced toxins and would get poisonous if he did not sweat it out. He has had a long history with theatre as
his parents are actors and he was on stage two weeks after he was born, “I didn’t have a choice with acting, I liked it, I grew up with it. But my decision was to be a
dancer because I was not able to rely on words alone and the only media I saw fitting was movement, I just had to dance – and now I am at a point where I need to stop
interpreting and focus on my own work.”
Talking about the production, Felix says, “It is a classic but still so relevant today and is so contemporary at the moment with the trouble in Greece we look back at the
society’s past and understand that all heroes have a journey, each day is a call for adventure and you come back with an experience.”
The dance is Felix’s experiment in exploration of an infinite object, a myth with which we all have infinite connections. And it navigates the narrative that has over the
years entered people’s imaginations through their own experiences and reading, thus giving the performance a multifarious, open ended quality which becomes the
foundation of the choreography.
“In Europe dance is a language that people don’t understand. It worries me that it might become an art bubble and we will lose connection with the spectators.
Contemporary dance needs to reach a wider audience,” says Felix and the solution is not to simplify dance, “The audience is intelligent. We need to use pictures and
poetry, make it interactive and go against conceptual dance.”
CATHERINE RHEA ROY
The journey of a hero
Deccanherold, Feb 4, 2013
Felix Mathias Ott’s ‘Odyssey Complex’ was presented, as a part of the’ Attakkalari Biennial 2013’, at Ranga Shankara recently. What was interesting was that it
had a burst of energy, an exploration of a cycle of events, and a perfect interaction with the stage props.
This work starts with the presenter picking the mic up to introduce the star and the act, after which follows a series of comic episodes. He says that the ‘show has
been cancelled since the director ate something wrong’. The presenter, Felix Mathias Ott, who is in fact the choreographer and the protagonist of the show, is
‘asked to keep the show going’. He reads and explains about what this work, ‘Odyssey Complex’, is about.
Felix begins with a narrative about the journey of a hero and the various steps or phases he goes through during an exciting adventure.
This adventure is narrated in a comical manner that catches the audience attention. But slowly, the audience feels the intensity of theact coming to life, as the
mood and scenes change — like when there is a sudden gush of water on to the actor on stage portraying heavy rain, or another scene, where a pile of dirt falls
from above and more. An interactive part of the performance, which took everyone by surprise, was when the performer walked over the barricades in the
theatre, through the audience to hook a table to the top row, and keep the table suspended in air. This table, which seemed like any ordinary table, then turned
into a God-like character, with the lights underneath blinking to depict conversation.
This performance was also coupled with sound effects and the screening of a film, which relates to the scenes shown on stage, in bits and pieces throughout the
performance. This performance, which was based on Odysseus’ epic journey, intrigued and provoked the audience to think of their own versions of the journey.
Hemabharathy Palani, a performer at the festival, comments, “It was a piece of art. Each piece is different and I’m not comparing it with any other, since
sometimes sweet isn’t sweet enough. The way Felix kept us pinned to our seats, with how he kept switching modes, was very interesting.”
Jade Dewi Tyas Tunggal, another performer of the festival, says, “It was an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ like experience. At many scenes, one could imagine things
would all explode, and then he would take it to another level.”
German dancer performs Odyssey Complex at BSA
Monwarul Islam-February 9, 2013- New Age
German dancer Felix Mathias Ott mesmerised the audience with self-choreographed solo-dance titled ‘Odyssey
Complex’. Based on Homeric myth of Odyssey, Felix’s choreograph created a surreal space between reality and
fiction.
According to the Homeric epic, Odyssey, king of Ithaca, while returning from the Trojan War, finds himself
repeatedly caught and intrigued, hazarded and frustrated in a ten eventful years of return home journey.
Felix Ott’s ‘Odyssey Complex’ focuses on this eventful return home journey. Categorised as ‘contemporary
dance’, Felix’s presentation was a terrific combination of dance, dialogue, acting, revealing gestures and
postures.
With an announcement that Felix was suffering from diarrhea and needed some more time to get prepared, a
shy guy started speaking as a prelude to Felix’s presentation. Soon it became clear that it was Felix performing.
With enviable stage-craft, Felix made the audience see and hear the sea-storms, and Odyssey’s ceaseless
fights against the sea throughout his return home journey.
His presentation depicts the frustrated and destitute Odyssey begins anew every when he is wrecked by the
sea. With a back-stage voice, Felix repeatedly informed the audience that the largest journey begins with a
single stand.
Felix Mathias Ott performs at the National Theatre
Hall of Shilpakala Academy on Thursday.
Ali Hossain Mintu.
The audience at the National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy gave a long standing ovation to
this brilliant dancer.
In a short interview after the performance, Felix told New Age, “Odyssey Complex’ may refer to the much known
‘Oedipus Complex’. In fact, it should. But I have found Odyssey in a much more life-like complex than the shocking complex of Oedipus’.
About his presentation he said, ‘I always try to get a complex structure so that the audience have layers of meaning. I walk from simplicity to complexity. For
that, I mix theatre, movie-on-back-screen, dance and recitation.’
‘I am speechless. It was outstanding, full of marvels’, said Mahmud Sharif who enjoyed the performance.
Odysseus: The mythical hero
- Sulagna Mukhopadhyay
February 18, 2013
The epic heroes possess characteristic traits like physical strength, bravery, wisdom, angst, misfortunes, that differentiate them from other
characters juxtaposed in each epic. Odysseus, the central character in Homer’s
epic poem The Odyssey appeals to his readers because of his amazing feats and
his unbelievable struggle to return home after winning the battle against the
Trojans. He was always helped by gods. When Poseidon tried to destroy
Odysseus’ ship with lightning during his return journey, he was helped by
goddess Ino, who gave him a magical cloak to prevent himself from drowning.
The strength of a hero like Odysseus and his toils and turmoils, his hubris,
which might seem unbelievable to the modern readers inspires Felix Mathias Ott
to give shape to his experimental piece Odyssey Complex. It tries to explore in
a narrative style the demi-god Odysseus and tries to break through the illusions
which we as readers have about the character through centuries. He gives
the stück (piece) a modern interpretation showcasing that wherever and
whenever a hero is born across the world, he has the same characteristics and
fate.
The performance was arranged by Goethe Institut Max Mueller Bhavan, Kolkata,
Pic: Sharanay Chattopadhyay
Courtesy: Max Mueller Bhavan, Kolkata
in collaboration with Ranan at Purple Movie Town. The studio along with its
acoustics was befitting for such a show. After performing at Bangalore and Dhaka, Felix reached Kolkata with his crew for a show on
January 11, 2013. He is a contemporary dancer-cum-choreographer from Berlin who has worked with artists like Krzysztof Warlikowski, the
renowned contemporary Polish theatre personality.
The piece is a monologue. Felix begins the piece using Brecht’s Theory of Alienation and then gradually adopts Viktor Borisovich
Schlovsky’s Other Theatre form. His prologue concerning the health hazards of the main actor and his narration of the piece creates a
make-believe situation amongst the audience. He draws a circle on a white board, which is divided into two parts. This circle shows the
journey of a hero from the beginning to the end. As a narrator Felix explains how in the middle of his journey the hero meets his mentor,
whose beguiled presence helps Odysseus to overcome the hurdles faced by him in his journey of life. Felix starts reading out excerpts from
the script when suddenly heavy shower along with lightning and roars of thunderbolts makes the hall completely dark. The production
gathers momentum at this juncture. The projection begins and the hero is seen swimming against the rough waves of the sea. The light on
the centre stage gradually focuses on Felix Ott, who is completely wet and tormented by the unperceiving situation. He is lying upside
down on a centre table, imitating the movements and strokes of that, reflected on the screen. The efficacy of the production lies in its
synchronization of Ott’s gestures and facial expressions, with those on the screen. After meeting goddess Ino, he receives the magical
cloak, takes off his wet clothes and puts it on. On the screen we can see Ino speaking to the hero, telling him, “Your journey has just
begun,” hinting at the odds he is going to face in his navigation. The magic costume protects him from all dangers he faces in his quest for
inner peace and success in life. The hero, who is gathering experience in his journey, says almost at the end, “The longest journey begins
with a single step.”
Odyssey Complex is a surreal experience in which the actor Felix Mathias Ott diachronically questions the existence of a hero, the
experience he gathers from masses and its reflection in his lifestyle. Tech savvy Ott blends his powerful acting, his dance movements, his
dialogues perfectly with the film which has been shot separately to give a complete shape to his thoughts.
Sulagna Mukhopadhyay was trained in Bharatanatyam by Guru Thankamani Kutty and Indian folk by Late Botu Pal. She has
an M.A. in Comparative Literature and has freelanced for various leading newspapers of Kolkata like The Telegraph, The
Statesman and Ananda Bazar Patrika. She has written articles on dance and gender issues. She is a teacher of South Point
School since 1996.
Deutschlandradio Kultur- Durch die Stadt getanzt
Ein Resümee der TanzNacht Berlin im Rahmen des Internationalen Tanzfestivals "Tanz im August"
Von Elisabeth Nehring vom 25.08.2012
http://www.dradio.de/dkultur/sendungen/fazit/1850881/
Der junge Felix M. Ott zeigte die Uraufführung von "Odyseey Complex", inspiriert von Homers Odysee - eine Arbeit, in der Banales und
Poetisches, Täuschung und Authentisches, Live-Performance und Film überraschende Allianzen eingehen und einander unerwartet
abwechseln. Aus einer etwas holprigen Lecture-Demonstration von Felix M. Ott entsteht - ganz plötzlich - eine dramatische Szenerie, in
der er als junger Held auf einem Schiff gegen Wind und Wellen kämpft. Poetisch und spannend ist es zu sehen, wie dieser junge
Choreograph mit wenigen, effizient eingesetzten Bühnenmitteln ganze dramatische Szenerien entwirft - sowohl auf der Bühne als auch
im Film -, hinterher wieder verwirft und ins Alltägliche, Banale zurückkehrt!
"Odyseey Complex" erinnert - trotz einiger Längen und Holprigkeiten - schon fast an die besten Arbeiten des kanadischen Regisseurs
Robert Lepage. Dass jener dem jungen Choreographen Felix M. Ott allerdings gar nicht als Inspiration diente, konnte, wer wollte,
hinterher in den Sommer.Talks erfahren - einem 10-stündigen Gesprächsmarathon, dessen gedankenreicher, aber unprätentiöser
Rahmen zum Gedankenaustausch lud - womit die einzelnen Formate der TanzNacht Berlin dieses Mal klug und fruchtbar ineinander
griffen.
2) Weblinks/Video:
Trailer „odyssey complex“:
http://felixmathiasott.com/news/odyssey-complex/
Dokumentation o“dyssey complex“:
https://vimeo.com/63608114
passwort: ulysses
Film „emptyöands“:
https://vimeo.com/80549508
password: odyssey