Pytheas Travels takes its name from the real life ancient Greek mariner whose writings about his incredible voyages were lost forever in the great fire of Alexandria. Composer Maja S.K. Ratkje, the Greek multidisciplinary artist duo Hypercomf and a musician crew have taken his journeys around the Mediterranean Sea and all the way up to the frozen north, as the starting point of a turbulent musical cruise that includes lavish parties, an onboard fire, and AI programmers encountered in the belly of a whale.
Scenes filmed around the coastlines of Greece and Norway show the contrasts between the two locations, and the historic connections between them via trade and tourism. A chamber band on stage plays a kind of modern electronic lounge music, while the increasingly strange surroundings are glimpsed through a series of portholes. Take your place on the deck of the good ship On the Ocean and prepare to be whisked away to another world.
PS: The bar in Vinterhagen opens one hour before the performance. Explore their exclusive Pytheas cocktail menu featuring drinks mixed specifically for this occasion.
Pytheas Travels is part of the Transmissions project, supported by the EEA Grants programme and the Norwegian Financial Mechanisms 2014–2021. Transmissions is coordinated by Onassis Stegi (Greece) in partnership with Ultima.
Throughout the performance, voices, images and music weave a story from mythology, mass tourism and maritime marvels. A thought-provoking package tour that made me question what mass travel has done to us and the planet. I’ve already booked my cabin for next year!
From the comfort of your seat in the marble hall of Sentralen you embark on a journey that will leave you with lifelong memories. I liked the way the auditorium became an extension of the stage-set, so that it felt like we were sitting inside the cruiseship’s dining hall. It made the experience so vivid I could almost smell the salt spray and hear the seagulls overhead.