On a sandy beach illuminated by an artificial sun, people in swimming costumes enjoy a typical day at the beach. They sunbathe, read, play and talk while the audience walks along a walkway and watches them from above. This totally banal, everyday situation is transformed when the music breaks through. The songs uncover a range of concerns, both individual and collective: from burnt skin from too much sun exposure, to fear of environmental catastrophe. Gradually, the frivolous micro-stories give way to much more serious issues and the individual songs to a universal heart that addresses concerns on a planetary scale.

Sun & Sea is the stage version of the installation-opera-performance presented by the official Lithuanian pavilion at the 2019 Venice Art Biennale. The project by Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė (film and theatre director and visual artist), Vaiva Grainytė (writer, playwright and poet) and Lina Lapelytė (musician and composer), won the Golden Lion for the best national participation. The proposal is a critical appeal against the climate crisis that combines installation art and theatrical performance.