Kykeon is an immersive virtual reality experience exploring shamanism as a way to reimagine contemporary society. Inspired by ancestral knowledge and wisdom, it invites the audience to take part in a new form of ritual.

The VR trilogy reflects on the loss of community and empathy, as well as a growing disconnection from others. It searches for a path forward by revisiting tradition and the practices of the tribe. Drawing on ancient cultures, ritualistic, and folkloric practices, the work re-examines these forms as a way of moving ahead.

In many traditions, shamans wearing masks were believed to embody the spirit of the mask—becoming a medium between the human and the unseen. The mask enabled communication with ancestral spirits, celestial forces, and the natural world, dissolving individual identity in favor of a deeper unity between humans, animals, and nature. Through this symbolic surrender of the ego, they became part of a larger whole—gaining protection and the ability to speak truth without fear. Today, however, we often wear masks to conceal rather than reveal our true identity.

In Kykeon, multiple state-of-the-art technologies are combined to create a journey through different states of being. Through VR, visitors are invited to enter a hidden realm and experience the world through the eyes of a shaman—inhabited by spirit-like entities, celestial systems, and forgotten harmonies. Within this space, the viewer can engage and interact with these forces, potentially awakening a dimension of themselves that has long been overlooked.

Concept, creation, creative direction: Mária Júdová
Choreographer: Taneli Törmä
Dancers: Staatstheater Mainz: Amber Pansters, Bojana Mitrović, Finn Lakeberg, Milena Wiese, Zachary Chant
Sound designer: Alexandra Timpau
VFX support: Florian Friedrich / Narranoid
HW support: Marko Júda
Project title, logo design: Constantine Nisidis
Producer: Mara Nedelcu
Co-producer: Motion Bank/ Hochschule Mainz, Sensorium festival

Kykeon has been produced with the support of the Arts Council National Lottery Project Grants and Goethe-Institut (International Coproduction Fund).

2022/07 Letní filmová škola Uherské Hradiště, CZ
2022/06 Cinedans, Amsterdam, NL
2022/06 Laterna fest, Prague, CZ
2022/04 Moovy Festival, Cologne, DE
2022/02 Bottle post Dance film festival, Taipei, TW
2021/10 Brighton Digital Festival, UK
2021/10 DOK Leipzig, DE
2021/10 ADAF, Athens, GR
2021/09 Tanzahoi, Hamburg, DE
2021/06 VRHAM!, Hamburg, DE
2020/10 ZED festival, Italy
2020/08 Sensorium festival, Slovakia