Safar - multimediale Outdoor Theaterperformance

SAFAR(from the Persian “Journey”) is the new, 50-minute outdoor dance-theatre production from Parisa Karimi.
Safar...“...is the story of a long journey...
a travel, an escape, a hunting or a searching...
for what exactly we don't know...
memory, dream or fairy tale...find out.”
With these projected words the piece begins in the “occupied” space of the city. A traveler pulling a hand-cart loaded with suitcases arrives, following a flying bird-person projected onto the walls with her oversized camera.

Her luggage is then transformed into an interactive suitcase-cinema landscape, out of which the her own stories tumble. Introduced like a silent movie the show takes the audience into a seemingly past time, partly in cinema history, where they are asked to find out what this trip could mean for our protagonist and what connections it offers to their own journey.

In a mixture of varying artistic forms of expression the piece creates a poetic picturesque journey.
Mobile wireless media technology, such as a projector built into a mock-camera, mobile light sources and a sound system built into suitcases, underscore the innovative character of this unusual piece. The transformable page gives the set a very stubborn, humorous touch with suprising and magical effects.
SAFAR hasn't yet premiered in its' finished form, but has been presented successfully as a “work in progress” at international theatre festivals in Tàrrega, Spain and Ramonville, France.

1. Conceptual Objectives:
SAFAR is an outdoor dance-theatre production. It is art for the public space; a transformation of the urban cultural landscape. SAFAR exemplarily gives a face, to the people on hand, to the daily, anonymous, impersonal encounters of a life story. SAFAR is like a mirror for the memories, thoughts and feelings of travelers that cannot be conveyed in words. With its strong visual expression the piece wants to creat a universal language, which can be understood across all national and cultural boundaries. SAFAR wants to touch and charm the heart through its poetry.

2. Practical Objectives:
The preparation of a successful premier, which is scheduled for the 17th of May 2013 at the “Sommerblut” festival in the Orangerie in Cologne, Germany. In order to make this possible, the first objective is to create a fertile production and test phase. Applications to other European festivals are ready to be submitted. The piece is to be entered for consideration to international theatre and art festivals and played for at least three years.

3. Target Audience:
Such an outdoor production speaks to many different individuals, even those who would normally stay far away from the “art temples”. If the performance is staged on the streets of a city then all people, be it by accident or planning can take part in the events of the play. This results in a cultural meeting place for everyone. So, the target audience is all people, big and small alike.

Art is beautiful. Art takes work. Art costs money.
SAFAR was developed with a lot of love and time up until this point. However, for the further development and completion of this story we now need a way to cover our production costs.
For this we need your support!
We have also submitted an application to receive financial support from from public cultural funds.

Now, why else ought you to support this project:
- SAFAR is inspiring, extraordinary, binding, moving and spellbinding.
- SAFAR addresses with an artistic and poetic approach ever current themes: the search for happiness, love and the meaning of life, as well as how to deal with crises and forced displacement.
- SAFAR will enrich the public space and the urban cultural landscape. Public spaces should not be left only to the stalls and chain-stores of consumerism.
- SAFAR is international. A universal language speaks through images and emotions of the piece. It can be presented like this all over the world. Many different people get the change to live the piece.
You can support the project in many ways, not just through financial contributions. For example, it can be recommended or shared on social media sites, like Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, etc.

Everything that is generated through crowd-funding and applications for funds, will flow through “startnext.de” and will go directly into the financing of the project.

With the money we will pay the following necessities for final production of the piece:
- Rehearsal room rental
- Covering organisational costs (telephone, mail, materials)
- Material and labour costs for the construction of two mobile light sources.
- Developing of the dramaturgy and choreography
- Revision and inspection of the set and costume material: for example, many objects made as dummies and should overhauled for better functionality.
- Production and printing of promotional materials

That's how, with your help, the whole world of SAFAR can come to life.