SightSEAing//INTERNATIONAL

SightSEAing is a walking performance that opens up the gateway to the city’s nooks and crannies and their secretive residents. The audience walks in groups of no more than six people; at times the group must find its own way, while at other times it is guided. The performance has its own bodily dramaturgy, in which the poetry of the unpredictable plays an important role. The purpose of the work is to use the public space for sharing poetic encounters with strangers.

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LISTEN TO CONNECTED PODCAST

• RELATIONSHIP WITH WATER - 71 percent of the Earth surface is water. Up to 60% of the human adult body is water. Water is omnipresent. In this episode we ask artists and festival creators about their relationship with water. Starring: Robert Karlsson (Between Music/AquaSonic), Betina Birkjær (Luna Park/SightSEAing), Var Bech Arting (RIVA/Minnisbrot), Willie White (Dublin Theatre Festival) and Adam Barrett (Luminato Festival).

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CONTEXT

Luna Park’s characteristic is PLAY - here defined as an action that involves and absorbs the participants, and operates according to a common set of rules which differ to those of everyday life inspired by Huizinga’s HOMO LUDENS. SightSEAing offers a space where we create a playful and open intimacy amongst a small group of strangers. The audience’s time is dedicated to a sensory game and immersion in the storytelling and its magical props, as the performance engages their bodily senses and their interactions with the surrounding cityscape. According to sociologist Hartmut Rosa we live in a time where acceleration is creating an alienation towards the world. Luna Park is attempting to create experiences that gently resists this alienation using no modern technology but a togetherness; with each other, with our imaginations and with all that which surrounds us.

THE COMPANY

Luna Park Scenekunst based in Svendborg, Denmark is a collective of Danish and international performers with different artistic backgrounds – all with a special flair for visual detail and a playful approach to the encounter with the audience. At Luna Park, it is essential that both process and product reflect curiosity, play and community – and that a healthy working environment is always paramount.

Betina Birkjær has been artistic director of Luna Park since 2019.

INTERNATIONAL STRATEGY

SightSEAing is developed in cooperation with people who met at the Colombian theatre Teatro de Los Sentidos. We have toured extensively in Europe, Asia and the pacific region always integrating local performers in the performances. All the performers are used to perform in their native as well as foreign languages. SightSEAing is already performed partly in English. This performance has a special appeal for people who are regular and long-standing users of the local cityscape. Having rehearsals and performances in a public space creates curiosity and local residents will buy tickets to a type of performance they did not even know existed. People see their urban area through fresh eyes and the emotions created will add an extra layer to their next encounter with these areas. We have a special focus on reaching local residents who might otherwise be hard to entice to attend more traditional venues.

CONTACT PERSON

Betina Birkjær lunaparkscenekunst@gmail.com

TRIGGER WARNINGS

None but the performance is not suitable for people with mobility issues or in a wheel chair.

TARGET AUDIENCE GROUP

Because of the work's playfulness and surprises, this play has a special appeal for young people (16-25 yrs) and also captivates people who do not regularly attend plays in the theatre. We have found this play to be a wonderful introduction to the theatre world for young people who might not otherwise be interested in the performing arts.

LANGUAGE

English

FORMAT AND SUSTAINABILITY

SightSEAing tours with very limited scenography mostly from recycled materials. If we go to festivals in other countries we would only bring the core-group of Luna Park artists to reduce transportation and if possible go by public transport. We want to connect the work with local communities, and will integrate local artists in both the site scouting and the performance. We pride ourselves on our ability to integrate local artists and giving them the space and time to flourish. Working with local performers and sharing our work and letting new people interpret the performance makes us more sustainable and build relationships and understanding between performers from different countries and cultures.

SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY

At Luna Park it is essential that both process and product reflect curiosity and play and that we create a culturally sensitive work environment and performance. It is fundamental for artistic director Betina Birkjær with a safe work space where everyone can have fruitful research and trustful communication where they don’t have to feel the weight of the whole production but can concentrate on their own artistic process. We have a rehearsal routine where we start out with a common meeting to check-in, continue with individual work time, time in couples and time with the director. This is to nourish the creative flow and to strengthen the bonds between the performers that during the performance are isolated from each other. It also makes it possible for new members of the group to feel comfortable from the start. Luna Park takes care of the performers private life by making family-friendly rehearsal schedules and last but not least Luna Park always tries to offer a reasonable salary according to the work time.

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