How am I here?! – about dreams in exile

In the organizer's words:

How am I Here?! كيف أنا هون؟

Where would the shelter be when homecoming becomes a nightmare?

Mey Seifan’s transmedial performance, „How am I here?!“, explores the restless feelings surrounding homecoming for Syrians after the diaspora. Through documented late-night dreams and an immersive audio-visual journey, Seifan explores collective trauma. The performance addresses the recurring pattern of dreams turning into nightmarish escapes, incorporating techniques of Lucid Dreaming to deal with the challenges of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Using VR technology and choreographed enactments, Seifan captures the dissonance between nightmarish homecoming and the oppressive reality of exile. The collaborative efforts of the multidisciplinary team and Slowfuture have brought Seifan’s vision to life, inviting audiences to contemplate the profound impact of this emotional conflict. The audience is left contemplating whether to awaken or stay on this haunting train of emotions.

Premiered in 2023, the project takes on new significance following the fall of the Syrian regime in 2024. It invites audiences on a journey through dreams, emotions, uncertainty, fragmented realities, the confrontation of fear, and the reclaiming of control.

Free Entrance/ donation based/ no Reservation/

www.tanween.de [http://www.tanween.de]

Team:How am I Here?Directed by: Mey SeifanA project by TANWEEN company:Concept and Choreography: Mey SeifanDramaturgy & Text Consultant: Ziad AdwanProduction & Distribution: TANWEEN Collective

VR and transmedia world production by slowfuture:Executive creative director and Sound Designer: Basel NaouriArtistic and Technical director: Riccardo TorresiCreative technologist: Maxime LethelierVisual / VR environment artist: Sohrab SamsamDirector of photography: Eric HillenbrandVR developer: Gereon Plättner

Dream Tutorial & Dream Journey Co-Creator: Shadi AliProduction Management: Layal SeifanSocial Media Manager: Chimene MedlejPress Coordinator: Ammar Almamoun & Mario MünsterNarrator: Shadi AliTank Dream generative visuals by: Ahmed El ShaerCognitive artist: Mert AkbalGreen-Screen footage captured by: Mouna AssaliInfrared footage captured by: Harshini J. Karunaratne

Performers:Gizem AkmanBeatrix KroschewskiAmr KarkoutSonia LevinTeresa Maria SimeoniMey SeifanLayal Seifan

Special thanks to:Liwa Yazaji

How am I Here? Funded by Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien in the NEUSTART KULTUR program, [Hilfsprogramm tanz:digital] of the Dachverband Tanz Deutschland.and supported by:The German Centre of the International Theatre Institute (ITI) // Media library for dance and theatre Ettijahat – Independent Culture  اتجاهات – ثقافة مستقلةMedienwerkstatt im Kulturwerk des berufsverband bildender künstler*innen berlinOrient Productions / D-CAF Festival.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh0Wiq2L3MU [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh0Wiq2L3MU]