Sydney Festival Digital Archive

Sun & Sea by Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė, Vaiva Grainytė and Lina Lapelytė (2023)

There was something distinctly Australian about Sun & Sea, though it in fact hailed from Lithuania. With tonnes of sand spread across floor, Sydney Town Hall became an eerie indoor beach, as Sun & Sea offered viewers a bird’s-eye view of dozens of people sunbaking, playing games, reading and lounging, all while singing gentle elegies about their lives and the changes they observe in the natural world.

It seemed idyllic at first. Then, almost imperceptibly over 60 minutes, Sun & Sea revealed itself to be a meditation on the looming apocalypse – one in which the world doesn’t end with a bang, but with our gradual acquiescence.

 In addition to the official opera-singer cast members, beach-goers were comprised of Sydney Festival volunteers, donors and one very good doggo.