Sun & Sea

23 Jun-10 Jul 2022

Overview

Serpentine, LIFT and We Are Lewisham present the UK premiere of the opera-performance, Sun & Sea.

Imagine a beach – you within it, or better: watching from above – the burning sun, sunscreen and bright bathing suits and sweaty palms and legs. 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. – Lucia Pietroiusti

Staged on an indoor beach at the Albany from 23 June – 10 July 2022 as part of LIFT 2022, Serpentine’s Back to Earth project and Lewisham’s year as the Mayor’s London Borough of Culture 2022, this durational work will unfold on a loop over several hours. Audiences will watch from the balcony as dozens of performers bring the scene to life. At first appearing to present a vision of a mundane afternoon at the beach, at the heart of Sun & Sea lies an urgent exploration of our relationship with the planet, the threat climate change presents and the dangers we face if it is ignored. Presented as Lithuania’s national entry for the 2019 Venice Biennale, Sun & Sea’s all-female creative team – composer Lina Lapelytė, librettist Vaiva Grainytė and director Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė – received the festival’s top award, the Golden Lion. Sun & Sea has since travelled the world, curated by Lucia Pietroiusti, founder of General Ecology at Serpentine, earning acclaim from audiences of theatre, visual art, music and opera.

The UK premiere of Sun & Sea is presented by LIFT, the Albany and Serpentine as part of LIFT 2022, Back to Earth and We Are Lewisham.

STANDARD TICKETS £15, PREMIUM TICKETS £25

Please note, this event takes place off-site at the Albany

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