ABOUT

The End Of The World is a multimedia performance featuring Ukrainian pianist Lubomyr Melnyk, Canadian cellist Julia Kent and SPIME.IM collective from Turin.

The project is named after Melnyk’s eponymous 2018 piano composition, giving form to a more complete, monumental and collaborative work, in which each section is able to depart from the principal concept in multiple acoustic directions.
Following a long period of solo composition, Melnyk combined his characteristic natural sound elements with electric and acoustic arrangements by Julia Kent and digital timbres from SPIME.IM collective, integrated with virtual interactions.

The result is a major-length piece with exquisite melodies and dramatic chaos mised into a musical story, describing the eminent death of the World from misguided governments and industries, and ends with our hope for survival. It is passionate music, created with love and care.

The End Of The World is an impactful immersive experience thanks also to wearable controllers, custom glove-synthesizers developed by Remidi and used by SPIME.IM to create audiovisual interaction between sound and images, of which the latter are based on parameters and datasets deriving from current climatic changes and environmental events.

CREDITS

Music: Lubomyr Melnyk (piano), SPIME.IM (electronics and visuals), Julia Kent (cello)

Executive production: Danilo Cardillo (Basemental)

Sound Engineer: Maurizio Borgna

Data curation: Elisa Berrnardoni

The End Of The World is co-produced by Superbudda, LEV Festival (Spain), Nextones (Italy), Snaporazverein (Switzerland), and Fondazione I Teatri Reggio Emilia / Festival Aperto (Italy) in collaboration with TOurDays and Basemental.

SHOWS

The End of The World has been presented in its “Beta” version at Festival Aperto (Reggio Emilia, Italy) 2021, Lev Festival (Gijon, Spain) 2022, Electrones Libres (Nantes. France, 2022), the Barbican with a special collaboration with the Shards choir and featuring Elina Nechayeva soprano voice (London, United Kingdom) 2023.

ARTISTS

Lubomyr Melnyk

Lubomyr Melnyk is one of the great pianists of our time, having created the remarkable new piano technique called “Continuous Music”.

His piano virtuosity has stunned audiences around the world and his compositions have won more and more audience appreciation as people become aware of his beautiful language for the piano.

Many of Lubomyr’s compositions are now released on several record labels,
including Sony Classical (“Illirion”) and Unseen World (NYC) and Erased Tapes (London).

Julia Kent

Cellist and composer from Vancouver, based in Turin. She has built a large fan following through five solo albums and extensive European and North American tours, after rising to prominence with Rasputina and Antony and the Johnsons. Much in demand as a music collaborator and composer for film, theater and dance, she has recently worked with Nadja, Markus Guentner, Western Skies Motel, Library Tapes and Sophie Hutchings (for Gregory Euclide’s Thesis project). In the world of dance she has collaborated with Ballett Mannheim in Germany and with the Italian company Balletto Civile.

Julia Kent

Cellist and composer from Vancouver, based in Turin. She has built a large fan following through five solo albums and extensive European and North American tours, after rising to prominence with Rasputina and Antony and the Johnsons. Much in demand as a music collaborator and composer for film, theater and dance, she has recently worked with Nadja, Markus Guentner, Western Skies Motel, Library Tapes and Sophie Hutchings (for Gregory Euclide’s Thesis project). In the world of dance she has collaborated with Ballett Mannheim in Germany and with the Italian company Balletto Civile.

SPIME.IM

SPIME.IM is an artistic collective that aims to investigate, through transmedia projects, the aesthetics and the languages derived from the affirmation of digital reality.
SPIME.IM uses technology, 3D art and electronic music to weave immersive audio-video experiences that explore the boundaries of identity, corporeality and perception. They presented their work at international digital art festivals such as Ars Electronica, Club to Club, L.E.V., Lunchmeat, Rhizom and Lost Music Festival and recently delivered their latest multimedia production “The End Of The World” with internationally renowned pianist and composer Lubomyr Melnyk and cellist Julia Kent.
SPIME.IM are Davide Tomat, Gabriele Ottino, Matteo Marson and Marco Casolati.

PARTNERS