Sublimation

Sublimation is a performative research project that transforms personal experiences of daily life in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, into a sensory-rich, immersive landscape. Drawing from my time living in a slum within the city, I sought to explore the complexities of survival, faith, and human connection, using the practices of eating, fasting, praying, celebrating, and struggling as starting points. The work is an abstraction, not a direct recreation of Ethiopia, but rather a free transformation of collected sounds, smells, visuals, and stories from my time there.

The title “Sublimation” reflects the process through which my personal physical experiences—rooted in daily life in Ethiopia—are elevated and abstracted into an emotional and sensory form. I have used elements such as prayer chants, folk dances, and incense smells to evoke the essence of this experience. I also engaged with local people, interviewing them and inviting them to contribute songs, drawings, and ideas to inform the dramaturgy of the piece.

At the heart of the composition is the visual motif of a carpet, drawn from ancient Ethiopian patterns. The carpet, a symbol of both tradition and ritual, serves as the ground upon which a scene unfolds—of a woman, victimized by war, her body a representation of both suffering and resilience. This object, like the work itself, embodies the tension between the personal and the collective, the lived experience and the abstracted form.

Sublimation invites the audience not to observe passively but to engage with the piece through their senses—sound, smell, touch, and sight—creating an experience that is visceral, immersive, and deeply connected to the themes of memory, trauma, and transcendence. The piece emerges from collaboration with both professional and non-professional artists, blurring the lines between performer and viewer, expert and community member, to create a shared, embodied experience.

This work is not only a reflection of my time in Ethiopia but also a meditation on the power of art to transform raw, personal experiences into universal expressions of human struggle, survival, and hope.

**

Collaborators

Rebekka Pichler, Eliška Švecová, Jana Štofaniková, Klára Aubrechtová, Tewolde Brhan (design), Biruh Alemu Alazie (music)

FREE ENTRY