In Bed

Topi Lehtipuu's Seven Bed Scenes is a live theatrical multimedia performance that tells seven resonant, universal stories, all interlinked by the idea of bed – a place and object that connects us all, from birth to death, and throughout our lives.

Four performers appear both on stage and on multichannel film, with scenes alternating between live theatre and videos that are projected on to the sides of the AI-powered Bed Cube, as well as on to a vast screen backdrop.

The film style combines some English text with beautiful and symbolic images, an advanced immersive sound narrative and a soundtrack that mixes electronica, art pop and classical film music. Oscar-winning script writer Gonzalo Maza is one of the artistic collaborators.

Sections

1. Creating life (film projected on Bed Cube screens and backdrop screen)
2. Birth (live theatre)
3. Cradle & Sleep & Dream (mixing film, projected on screens and live theatre)
4. Ruling from Bed (live theatre)
5. Outdoors (film projected on screens)
6. Mythological (mixing film and live theatre)
7. Illness & Death (live theatre)
8. Epilogue (mixing film and live theatre)

The performance was commissioned by the new East Kowloon Cultural Centre, to showcase the technical and artistic capacities of its innovative production set-up, which allows for an immersive tracking sound system, computer-controlled lighting and an AI-powered set.

Topi Lehtipuu, who curates his own creative concept, came to international fame as a tenor, and in recent years has enjoyed a career as an artistic consultant and curator. He served as Director of the Helsinki Festival from 2015 to 2018 and Artistic Director of Turku Music Festival from 2010 to 2015. Most recently, he has worked on the boundaries between dance, singing and Baroque music with his work on Third Practice.