Sun and Sea

Imagine a beach – you within it, or better: watching from above – the burning sun, sunscreen, bright bathing suits, 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.

An ecological work at its very core, Sun and Sea takes place on an artificial beach composed through light, architecture and music. In the heat of the midday sun, vacationers sings their stories, unfold their thoughts. As these multiply, everyday micro-events slowly give rise to broader, more distributed anxieties on planetary-scale, anthropogenic climate change. The setting – a crowded beach in summer – paints an image of laziness and lightness. In this context, the message follows suit: contemporary crises unfold easily, softly – like a pop song on the very last day on Earth.

Sun and Sea is a critically acclaimed Lithuanian opera-performance created by Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė, Vaiva Grainytė and Lina Lapelytė. The Curator of the project is Lucia Pietroiusti, Curator of General Ecology, Serpentine Gallery, London. Sun & Sea was awarded with the Golden Lion for best contribution at the Venice Biennale 2019. The premiere at Malmö Konsthall is set for the 2nd of November 2021 and the work will be shown at Malmö Konsthall from the 2nd to the 14th of November (postponed from Spring 2020 due to the spread of the coronavirus). Sun & Sea is a live installation without beginning or end. Each performance runs for four hours where the audience can come and leave as they please.

Malmö Konsthall will be the first art institution to show the work in Sweden, after its international success. The performance at Malmö Konsthall is part of a Nordic tour. At each location, local performers together with amateur singers will be recruited to join the original ensemble, which means that the performance is shaped by the place where it is displayed.

Kilde: Malmö Konsthall