«ORLANDO» – Julie Beauvais and Horace Lundd

Inspired by the post-binary paradigm experienced by Orlando  – the character from Virginia Woolf’s eponymous semi-biographical novel who, at dawn in a mundane setting, turns into a woman – the one-voice opera is an immersive installation designed by Julie Beauvais and Horace Lundd, an experience that combines movement, video installation, architecture and live music performance.

Performed by seven people who are invited to incorporate the character created by the English writer, the work consists of seven simultaneous projections, choreographed by Beauvis and recorded in several cities, such as Berlin (Germany), Kinshasa (Congo), Marfa (USA), London ( England), Varanasi (India), Lisbon (Portugal), Chandolin (Switzerland), Patagonia (Chile) and North Sea (Netherlands). Filmed by Lundd, the distinct figures that compose «Orlando» are juxtaposed to natural landscapes with slow and expansive movements during twilight (also known as the blue hour), the exact moment the sun rises or is about to set. 

Accompanied by Yannick Barman’s trumpet and electronic programs, the work integrated the schedule of the Santiago a Mil Festival (Chile), FIBA ​​Festival (Argentina) and MITsp (Brazil), between the months of January and March 2020. The structure that supports the projections was created by EPFL architects by collecting materials found in each of the regions where it was exhibited in order to create, in simultaneous projections, a single horizon line shared with the public, which inhabits the interior of the ritualistic and meditative movement proposed by «Orlando».

Co-produced by La Bâtie and the Geneva Festival, the project was supported by the program COINCIDENCIA, CNC – National Center for Cinema and Animated Image, DICRéAM, Loterie Romande Vaud, Loterie Romande Valais, Canton du Valais – culture department, DRAC – Regional Directorate for Cultural Affairs Grand Est, Grand Est Region – support for the creation of scenic and visual arts, City of Geneva – finance and housing department, and HEAR – Haute École des Arts du Rhin.