As part of the exhibition "Thus waves come in pairs", curated by Barbara Casavecchia, Berlin-based artists Petrit Halilaj and Álvaro Urbano present a new installation and performance titled "Lunar Ensemble for Uprising Seas". The work, occupying the west wing of Ocean Space, is an evolving ecosystem comprising over 40 large-scale sculptures of hybrid aquatic, terrestrial, and aerial creatures, set beneath an egg-shaped moon. It evokes new possible forms of life and queer alternative futures, which can be imagined together.

This assembly of silvery transformative beings is perhaps learning to fly to escape predators and heating waters, or perhaps trying to start a new amphibious life, as our common ancestors did millions of years ago, by reacting to changes in the planetary climate. They have gills, fins, wings, bodies, and tails that resound when touched by musicians and activated by performers. After making their voices heard to the audience in Campo San Lorenzo, they will be welcomed inside the former church (famous in the past for the polyphonies of its women’s choir) by a pair of feathered creatures that dominate Venice’s urban space: two herring gulls, played by the artists. In a crescendo of notes and sounds, the movement of these creatures gives volume to a joyfully vibrant protest, a message of alert, an invitation to listen to the language of the other, and to reshape given human conceptions on their role as the center of the world.

After premiering during the preview of the exhibition "Thus waves come in pairs" on 21 April 2023, the performance activating installation by artists Petrit Halilaj and Álvaro Urbano is repeated at Ocean Space on:

• May 19, 2023, 7pm - To attend, reservations are required at the following link. Performance SOLD OUT!

On the following dates, the performance takes the form of a “Concert for 7 sculptures and 7 musicians”:

• June 17, 2023 - organized on the occasion of Artnight 2023.
• August 10, 2023
• September 2, 2023
• November 4, 2023
  

Part of the cycle “Live Currents”. This performative stream, springing from the many collaborations of The Current III, draws from the interconnections of our Mediterranean enquiries, building on the itinerant and long-term methodology of The Current's curatorial fellowship program.

"Lunar Ensemble for Uprising Seas", 2023 by Petrit Halilaj and Álvaro Urbano is co-commissioned by TBA21–Academy and Audemars Piguet Contemporary.