Over Lunan was an extraordinary sound and visual promenade performance in the dunes of Lunan Bay in Angus, Scotland, and an accompanying radio play.
The major live commission blended a monumental sound and light installation with elements of theatre. As darkness fell, audience members became immersed in one of Scotland's most stunning coastal locations in an unusual work that drew on the fragility of the natural world and ancient flood mythologies…
Created by Angus Farquhar and members of the Aproxima collective including Purni Morell as dramaturg and script writer, visual design by James Johnson, composer of electro-acoustic music Andrew Knight-Hill, conch player and conductor Bede Williams, conch and carnyx players John and Patrick Kenny, musician and composer Cameron Sinclair, with a cast of local performers from the area, producer Jana Robert, and music recorded by the St Salvator’s Chapel Choir of St Andrews University.
Commissioned by Hospitalfield and Arbroath 2020+1
“A quite unforgettable experience”
“hugely resonant piece of work, that invites us to travel not only in space but in time” and “a tremendously complex piece of art”
Radio Play
The live event was accompanied by a companion radio piece, originally broadcast on Radio North Angus, Resonance FM and Resonance Extra.
The radio piece further explores the work of journalist Charlie Ross and a summer spent in Lunan Bay on the north east coast of Scotland, investigating the area's history and mythology, and the natural forces that have shaped this coast through millennia.
He died before his work was complete, but his discoveries, including Lunan's connection to the ancient cultures of the Middle East, are now brought to life posthumously in this new radio piece, produced by Steve Urquhart and directed by Purni Morell, with music and sound design by Andrew Knight-Hill.
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Credits
Script
Purni Morell & Angus Farquhar
Direction
Purni Morell
Producer
Steve Urquhart
Composition and Sound Design
Andrew Knight-Hill
Marimba
Cameron Sinclair & Angus Farquhar
Conch shells and trumpet
Bede Williams
Actors
Laura Bauld
John Buick
Angus Farquhar
Robin Laing
Pauline Lynch
Vincent Laing
Lisa Livingstone
Purni Morell
Jana Robert
Mark Wood
Billy Riddoch
Mary McCusker
Arvid Larsen
Michael Matar
Nathan Wasserman
Apkallū
Heather Anne
Scott Burrell
James Armstrong
Irene Taylor
Karen Elliot
Carsten Williamson
Dan Thompson
James Callachan
Kris Forrester
Kirsty Scott
Community Cast
Euan Smith
Brian Bordman
Rachel Robertson
Andrew Lodge
Ashlyn Bourelle
Carley Mackie
Sam Johnston
Jordan Monks
Fiona Linton
Choir
Chamber Choir from the University of St Andrews Music Centre
Rebecca Black
Sarah Greer
James McNinch
Nathanael Fagerson
Ross McArthur
Guy Minch
Elizabeth Unsworth Wilson
Jane Pettegree
Choir Director - Claire Innes-Hopkins
Over Lunan - Resonant Chamber, Brunel Museum London May 27th 2023
Loudspeaker Orchestra Series produced by the SOUND/IMAGE Research Group University of Greenwich
The show, Resonant Chamber - set in the lift shaft of the world’s first underwater tunnel explored the power of combining architecture, live performance and recorded sound to create immersive site-specific experiences.
The programme featured a world premiere and a feature performance from the "Over Lunan" production.
“hugely resonant piece of work, that invites us to travel not only in space but in time” and “a tremendously complex piece of art”
Press and Audience Response
“Beautiful stuff. A magical connection to a place, deep time, geological time, human time, and just time; how people are part of a place; how landscape allows us to access something beyond ourselves.”
“At the end of Over Lunan, we all climb over the dunes on to the beach, where cloaked figures are watching from the cliff and a harvest moon is turning the tranquil sea to liquid silver. It’s the first of many goosebump moments on a trip that turns out to be full of them.”
“…incredible piece of theatre. One of the best things I’ve seen, and something that will stay with me for a long time.”
“Over Lunan is an atmospheric experience that highlights the sheer power and beauty of the sea. The exploration of time, history and myth through sound and story is thought provoking and allows audiences to immerse themselves in the landscape in a way they’ve never been able to before.”
“So atmospheric and moving. Both intriguing and inspiring.”
