OUTWITTING
THE DEVIL

In 2015, a previously unknown fragment of the Babylonic Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the oldest surviving works of literature, was discovered and translated from cuneiform script. It contained the description of the vast and wild cedar forest that Gilgamesh, the King of Uruk and his companion Enkidu, discovered on their travels. Although overcome by the richness and beauty of the forest, they killed its guard and destroyed the forest.

The themes tackled here are a starting point for Outwitting the Devil, Akram Khan’s company’s newest piece. It is a concentrated epos about rituals and memories set against the context of the transition from the Holocene era to the uncertain future of the Anthropocene.

Akram Khan is one of the most celebrated and recognised artists of our time. In the last 18 years, he has created a body of work, that is considered an important contribution to the art world.Over the course of his career Kahn has received numerous recognitions, among which the Laurence Olivier award, the prestigious ispa Distinguished Artist Award from the International Society of Performing Arts, the South Bank Sky Award and the Critics’ Circle National Dance Award.