At first glance, Sun & Sea looks straight out of a dystopian future where the rich and powerful find sick and odd satisfaction in standing above on a viewing platform looking down at the peasants just enjoying a mundane day at the beach. Maybe perhaps this is correct.
With the stage being a faux indoor beach complimented by bright sun-mimicking lights, the opera is made up of 24 performers of various ages and backgrounds who engage in regular beach activities such as sunbathing and building a sand castle.
Let’s not forget that Sun & Sea (Marina) is actually an opera, so singing is involved. Although the performance touches on rather dull topics such as marriage and eating dates, the key message is about climate change and humanity’s relationship with Mother Nature.
“Imagine a beach – you within it, or better: watching from above – the burning sun, sunscreen and bright bathing suits and sweaty palms and legs,” writes curator Lucia Pietroiusti on Sun & Sea’s website. “Tired limbs sprawled lazily across a mosaic of towels. Imagine the occasional squeal of children, laughter, the sound of an ice cream van in the distance. The musical rhythm of waves on the surf, a soothing sound (on this particular beach, not elsewhere).”
“The crinkling of plastic bags whirling in the air, their silent floating, jellyfish-like, below the waterline. The rumble of a volcano, or of an airplane, or a speedboat. Then a chorus of songs: everyday songs, songs of worry and of boredom, songs of almost nothing. And below them: the slow creaking of an exhausted Earth, a gasp.”
Sun & Sea is currently being performed in London as part of the LIFT Festival until July 10.
All images in this article are courtesy of Sun & Sea.
