SUN & SEA to Launch National Tour in September at BAM
Sunbathing characters offer up a range of seductive harmonies and melodic stories that glide between the mundane, the sinister, and the surreal.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Aug. 17, 2021
After enthralling audiences at the 2019 Venice Biennale, and earning its all-woman creative team (Rugil?- Barzdžiukait?-, Vaiva Grainyt?-, and Lina Lapelyte) the much-coveted Golden Lion, Sun & Sea will launch its national tour on September 15 at BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music). The production will then travel to Philadelphia (Arcadia Exhibitions/Arcadia University as part of Philadelphia Fringe Festival), Bentonville, AR (the Momentary), and Los Angeles (Hammer Museum, MOCA, and CAP UCLA).
Using twenty-five tons of sand to transform each theater into a lively beach, sunbathing characters offer up a range of seductive harmonies and melodic stories that glide between the mundane, the sinister, and the surreal. From the sprawling narrative of their lives emerges a piercing exploration of climate change; shining light on the complex relationship between people and our planet. The piece is brought to life by 13 vocalists who are surrounded by approximately 25 adventurous local community members in each city who act as fellow beach-goers.
"Sun & Sea started with the image of vacationers lying on a sandy beach and singing; their half-naked bodies observed from above, from the sun's perspective, as if humankind were insects, finding parallels with the temporality of the colossal body - the body of the Earth," said librettist Vaiva Grainyt?- on behalf of the artistic team. "The libretto of the piece is set as a mosaic of stories, inner monologues, dreams and thoughts, sung in solos and as a chorus by the beachgoers. This 'soup' of stories might sound mundane and carefree, however, in this liturgical, poppy, and synthetic ocean of songs one can feel an impending threat. The picture of enjoyable holidays belies the consequences of this inertia - planetary resources being extracted as if sipping fizzy Piña Colada."
Sun & Sea is the second collaboration for these three artists who focus on the relationship between documentary and fiction, reality and poetry, and how theater, music and the visual arts intertwine. Their previous work, the contemporary opera Have a Good Day! for 10 cashiers, supermarket sounds, and piano, premiered in 2013 and is touring worldwide.
2021 SUN & SEA TOUR DETAILS
September 15-26
BAM Fisher (Fishman Space)
321 Ashland Pl.
Brooklyn, NY
Tickets $25
Sun & Sea inaugurates BAM's fall season which features a fresh and forward-looking lineup of US premieres by artists from around the world in their BAM debuts. Like Sun & Sea, each artist will unleash their imagination at the BAM Fisher, exploring new ways to activate the space in unprecedented ways.
Bloomberg Philanthropies is the Season Sponsor. Leadership support for Sun & Sea provided by Compass. Leadership support for BAM Access Programs provided by the Jerome L. Greene Foundation. Leadership support for BAM Visual Art provided by Toby Devan Lewis. Leadership support for theater at BAM provided by The Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Inc.; The SHS Foundation; and The Shubert Foundation, Inc. Major support for Sun & Sea provided by the Arthur F. & Alice E. Adams Charitable Foundation. Major support for female creators in the Fall 2021 Season provided by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.
September 30-October 3
Arcadia Exhibitions (As part of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival)
The Budd
3431 Fox St.
Philadelphia, PA
Tickets $25
gallery.arcadia.edu/Sun&Sea
Arcadia Exhibitions at Arcadia University is pleased to announce its presentation of Sun & Sea as part of the 2021 Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Blurring the lines between music, theater, poetry, and visual art, the Philadelphia presentation of the work will feature a custom built set for the original cast, joined by non-singing beachgoers sourced from the community with opportunities to volunteer. Major support for Sun & Sea to come to Philadelphia has been provided to Arcadia Exhibitions by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, with additional support from Arcadia University.
October 6-9
The Momentary
507 SE E St.
Bentonville, AR
Tickets $20 General Admission; $16 Members; Free for youth ages 12 and under. (Ticket sales open August 27, 9 a.m. CT for members, August 30 at 9 a.m. CT to the general public.)
https://themomentary.org/calendar/sun-and-sea/
The Momentary, a satellite to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, is thrilled to welcome Sun & Sea to the Heartland. Bringing the beach indoors in a decommissioned cheese factory turned contemporary art space, the Momentary will transform their interior Tower space to an unconventional and spectacular theater, offering unique perspectives and aerial views to audiences.
October 14-16
Presented by the Hammer, MOCA, and CAP UCLA
The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA
152 North Central Avenue
Los Angeles, CA
Tickets $25 General Admission; $20 Member Presale (Ticket sales open September 14-16 for members, September 17 to the general public.)
https://www.moca.org/exhibition/sun-sea
Making its West Coast debut, Sun & Sea in Los Angeles will be installed at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA and transform the Frank Gehry-designed former warehouse space into a sunny day at the beach. The touring vocalists will be supported by members of LA-based choral group Tonality, best known for concerts on themes of social justice. The haunting yet catchy songs contemplate the impact of humans on the environment, presenting the urgent climate change conversation in a new light.
Each engagement will adhere to Covid-19 safety protocols.
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