DENİZ KÜSTÜ (The Sea-Crossed Fisherman), a total music theatre », took place in Sureyya Opera House and was co-commissioned by the International Istanbul Music Festival and held by the IKSV- Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts. It was composed by Michael Ellison and adapted from Yaşar Kemal’s 1978 novel by Simon Jones. This dynamic new opera brings this modern gem of Turkish literature to the stage for the first time. In his visionary novel, Kemal creates the tragic story of a village loner – Fisher Selim – and an orphaned street-child – Zeynel – to explore many of the crucial challenges the world faces today: destruction of the earth’s resources, the devastating impact of global trade on traditional lifestyles and communities, and the ordinary person’s sense of powerlessness in the face of corruption and injustice. To realize Kemal’s penetrating analysis of these challenges, the opera moves through four scenes, which contrast the seascape of the Marmara Sea – with swordfish, dolphins, and mermaids in its changing moods – with the dizzying, teeming metropolis of Istanbul and one small fishing village, Menekşe. The work moves from social realism to magical realism to make its powerful critique. It is a powerful lyrical and dramatic music theatre that weaves Turkish traditional instruments into a contemporary musical and theatrical setting with breathtaking visual experience. 

I participated in the project as a team member in NOHlab. We created a LED screen installation consisting of a big one piece screen covering the whole background of the stage and two reflective areas on both sides.

Role: motion design
Orchestra: Hezarfen Ensemble
Conductor: Michael Rafferty
Music: Michael Ellison
Video Performans & Enstalasyon: Nohlab
Animation: Nohlab (Deniz Kader, Candaş Şişman), Necmi Deniz Akıncı, Fehmican Gözüm
Libretto: Simon Jones
Stage Direction: Simon Jones
Choreography: Zeynep Tanbay
Singers: Gwion Thomas, Robyn Allegra Parton, Louise Innes, Damian Thantrey, Adam Green
Dancers :Evrim Akyay, Gizem Bilgen, Can Gökdoğan, Serhat Kural
Repetiteur: Ian Shaw

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