Songs From a Valley of Love and Delight explores the beauty, mystery and the contradictions of the utopia of holiday,
and presents songs based on interviews with tourists and seasonal immigrants that have left the north in favor of the south.
Songs From a Valley of Love and Delight is a part of the ongoing project Syden, which explores the concept of displacement through the existing idea of Syden (meaning “South”). Syden refers to a created holiday-land with sun and beaches, a mental and physical place where happiness and relaxation can be found. Tourism has the potential to be a mental space for freedom, where humans can explore themselves in a different environment free from the constraints of daily life. Songs From a Valley of Love and Delight questions what is needed for a happy life and where to find it.
The project is a collaboration between Pablo Castilla, Niko Hafkenscheid and Hedvig Biong. It will be performed by Mariza Ruppmann, Marianne Suter, Albert Doody, Margaret Lockie, David Lockie, Glenda Crooknorth and Rudolf Rutschmann, who have all exchanged a life in the north for a life in the south. The first part of the project, the installation Syden, was presented at Oslo Internasjonale Teaterfestival in 2016.
