Sea of Rocks – Preview

From 2024 The Mountain Range builds towards different countries in Europe, upcoming is a new work (Sea of Rocks) in the Unesco world heritage landscape of the Dolomites (co- production Biennale Gherdeina and Bolzano Danza) The work take as a starting point how the alpine landscape of the Dolomites originally came about, as deep sea corals. A collision between European, Asian and African continental plates created the buoyancy behind the rock formations, which are still rising. Due to climate change water the weathering of the mountain is at full speed causing frequent floods, rockslides and precipitation transforming the landscape anew. The choreography will be set in a large mountain next to a restaurant complex and gondola facility “hovering” above a valley surrounded by coral-like mountain peaks. By night the man-made lighting in the valley below become reminiscent of “morel fire”.  A peculiarity that enable a poetic interplay between alpine landscape and “ocean depths”, merging the anthropocentric with the geological. Emphasizing slowness the work will seek to highlight the many tiny individual events that over time lead to radical changes in landscape and topography. A meditation on what has been, and the uncertainty on what might become. The work is a choreographic sound installation, with performers, climbers and a sound designer.

With and by

Concept, choreographer, local and historical research: Helle Siljeholm
Climbers and co-creating performers: Sebastian Cruz, Pernille Holden, Marianne Kjærsund,  Anders Rummelhoff, Benno Steinneger
Safety expert: Olav Vestlie
Costume: Karine Faou
Communication: Bjarne Asp
Sound designer: Per Platou
Curator and producer: Lisa Gilardino

Co-producers: Bolzano Danza, Biennale Gherdëina
Supported by: Arts Council Norway, and Norwegian Embassy in Rome

Image credits: Helle Siljeholm, The Mountain Body