Many people scrolling through their social media platforms have seen strange videos of people chilling on a beach, in an enclosed room with no body of water in sight. The likes of the video are quite bizarre leaving those who have seen it a little creeped out. However, they might not be aware that the clip carries a much deeper message.
Indoor beach demonstration
As the effects of climate change seem to be mounting, human beings are still struggling to grapple with the prospect of change. Climate change activism isn’t new, and it seems to be more common every year. In 2019 a video began circulating on our social media news feeds. It was of a opera-performance created by three women that earned Lithuania the Golden Lion at the 2019 Venice Biennale. It has toured Europe and America since. It is aimed to demonstrate ‘the threat climate change presents and the dangers we face if it is ignored.‘
This artistic environmental demonstration is created by a festival called Sun & Sea: Operatic. They bring the indoor beach to art galleries all over the world. So far, the scene has been displayed in London, Moscow, and Reykjavik. Lisbon, Barcelona, and Helsinki are confirmed to showcase it next.
The description of the event is as follows:
“A crowded beach, the burning sun, bright bathing suits and sweaty brows and legs. Tired limbs sprawling lazily across a sea of towels. The rumble of a volcano, or of an airplane, or a speedboat. The squeal of children, laughter, the sound of an ice cream van in the distance. Sunbathers sing languid songs of worry, of boredom, of almost nothing.
Songs of early morning flights and half-eaten sandwiches in the sand. The crinkling of plastic bags whirling in the air then floating silently, jellyfish-like below the waterline. Stories that glide between the mundane, the sinister and the surreal. Witness from above as an afternoon at the beach reveals a mesmerizing exploration of the relationship between us and our planet.”
Onlookers will see a room filled with beach sand and various people lounging on it as if they were enjoying a fun day at the beach. There are men and women in their swimsuits catching a tan in the non-existent sun. Children are playing in the sand building sandcastles. One couple is playing with a bat and ball. They fill the silence with opera-styled songs about loneliness and environmental destruction. Yet, up on the balcony, there are people observing their every move and listening to the songs they sing.
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People are creeped out
The visuals onlookers take in as they look down from a balcony above the indoor beach have reportedly creeped many people out. So, they took to their keyboards and commented on their opinions. One person said: “So, you’ve got people packed in, and some people watching them like they’re at the beach. But, they’re not at the beach, they’re in a building with sand in it.” Another commenter said: “Without a doubt this has to be the strangest footage I’ve seen in my whole life … It’s pretty crazy, pretty wild, pretty out there.”
Another person said it looks like a “prison for the super rich.”
On the other hand, there are many people who have marveled over the sight. One positive review read: “Sun & Sea, from Lithuania in @LIFTfestival is like nothing I’ve ever seen and I adored it. From a balcony we look down on a sweltering beach. Holidaymakers sing operatic songs of loneliness, endings and environmental loss. That’s all. So daring; so beautiful. Mesmeric.”
If you’re curious about the video in question, it went viral in 2019 but is still making its way around. Here it is:
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Sources
- “Spectacle meant to demonstrate ‘climate change threat’ leaves internet creeped out [WATCH].” Times of News. TN Viral Desk. August 7, 2022.
- “Room dubbed prison for the super-rich leaves people creeped out.” Lad Bible. Anish Vij. August 6, 2022.
- “Lie back and think of the apocalypse: climate crisis opera Sun & Sea.” The Guardian. Stewart Jeffrey. Jun 15, 2022.