La Mer
A visually rich and emotionally charged multimedia performance about the beauty and fragility of our oceans. Nanine Linning contrasts the romantic imagination of the sea with the harsh reality of climate change.
La Mer is based on Claude Debussy’s iconic composition from 1905. With 25 dancers, choreographer Nanine Linning contrasts the naive-romantic imagery of the sea from Debussy’s time with the harsh reality of today: rising sea levels and pollution. La Mer invites reflection on our own actions.
The result is a compelling hybrid of dance, music, couture, and video art that touches both physically and intellectually.
Yannis Kyriakides’ cinematic music offers a contemporary counterpart to Debussy’s symphony. His compositions are performed by phenomenal soprano Barbara Hannigan and feature hydrophone recordings from the deepest parts of the ocean—revealing that it is teeming with life and sound there. The digital scenography by media artist Heleen Blanken and more than eighty sustainable costumes by haute couture designer Yuima Nakazato transform the stage into a mysterious, fluid world.
