About

An owl tamer, a bear in red heels, a dancer from a bygone era: Sylvia Rimat creates original contemporary performances with ‘a pinch of the surreal’.

She develops various formats, i.e. studio shows, one-on-one performance, encounters in public space, site-specific work and most recently an App. She encourages her audience to interact playfully with elements of video, audio, new technologies, animals (imagined and real) and fragments of dance. Her work deals with processes of the human mind (consciousness, memory or how we experience time), coupled with personal experiences and our imagination. Recent work explores our connectivity with the natural world, i.e. tree communication via fungal networks, and climate emergency. Rimat’s development process follows a collaborative approach, drawing from specialists in eg Neuroscience, Mathematics, Psychology, and informed by people from diverse communities, such as members of the Hearing Voices Network Bristol, Knowle West Walking groups (a disadvantaged neighbourhood of Bristol) etc. Her research culminates in humorous performances that are equally entertaining and thought-provoking.

Born in Germany, Sylvia Rimat is based in Bristol, UK. She performs in theatres, galleries and public spaces. Her work has been presented throughout the UK, Europe and in Australia, including the British Council Showcase at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, London’s Barbican Centre in SPILL Festival, In Between Time Festival (Bristol), various venues in Denmark, Poland, Germany and Spain, and in festivals in Australia (Perth, Sydney).

Sylvia is a member of artist-led collective Residence in Bristol.