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Enthralled by the senses

What happens when the world tilts—and we step outside ourselves, even if just for a moment? A glimpse into the elusive, the unpredictable, and the uncontrollable. An Essay by Racha Kirakosian.

culture
society
Racha Kirakosian
01.05.2025

‘Ecstasy’—this is a word we sometimes use casually to describe intense joy. But it reaches far beyond that. Ecstasy is a state of exception: a moment when boundaries dissolve—those of the body, of perception, of language. It comes about during music, dance, intoxication, rituals, pain, and collective experiences—it can even arise in the flow of work or in the presence of art. What unites these moments is a feeling of stepping outside the ordinary, a brief departure from the familiar order.

In Berauscht der Sinne beraubt (Intoxicated, Deprived of the Senses), ecstasy is not treated as a single, uniform concept but as a multifaceted phenomenon that shifts depending on the context. Sometimes loud, sometimes quiet. Sometimes life-giving, sometimes destructive. It can be seen as sacred or scandalous, a goal of spiritual practice or a loss of control—a moment of revelation or disruption.

Explore Rachas Book 'Berauscht der Sinne beraubt'

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Berauscht der Sinne beraubt: Eine Geschichte der Ekstase

15. Jun / 20:00 / Atelier Gardens
Is ecstasy a basic human need? Racha Kirakosian explores our drive for trance, rapture, and transcendence. From ancient rituals to techno raves, she shows that ecstasy isn’t just a wild escape, it is a mirror of who we are.

 

This ambivalence isn’t incidental—it’s central. Ecstasy always moves between extremes: between boundlessness and discipline, between attraction and fear, and that’s where its power lies. It resists clear definition. In some contexts, it is celebrated, in others, feared or pathologized. The way it is judged often reveals more about the society in which it occurs than about the phenomenon itself.

The themes that emerge are rich and varied: ecstasy can provide insights—found in visions, dreams, or flow states. Ecstasy can be a liminal experience of pain—ranging from religious sacrifice to psychological overload. Ecstasy can be a projection—of femininity, hysteria, or spiritual enlightenment. And ecstasy can be collective—between shared euphoria and political manipulation. 
Ecstasy is neither purely individual nor strictly culturally coded. It arises in a state of friction—between body and system, inner and outer, expression and expectation. And it is precisely where it cannot be clearly named that it unfurls its generative tension.

Ecstasy is not a state that you can pin down. But it leaves traces—in texts, in images, in bodies. These traces prove that it is not an exception, but something deeply woven into how we think, feel, and experience life. To explore ecstasy is not to escape reality but to look directly at its fault lines—and sometimes, at the potential hidden within them.

We can't wait to welcome Racha to our Festival! Don't miss her Live Reading on 15 June, 8 pm at Atelier Gardens!

Racha Kirakosian

Racha Kirakosian, Chair of Medieval German Studies at the University of Freiburg, is a renowned scholar whose work bridges women’s history, text culture, and religion of the Middle Ages. With academic roots spanning Oxford, Harvard, and the École nationale des chartes, her research combines intellectual rigor with cultural curiosity. Her latest book 'Berauscht der Sinne beraubt' dives into humanity’s timeless pursuit of ecstasy—from ancient rites and medieval visions to modern-day festivals.

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