Join Decibel (a new music ensemble based in Australia) and Ruthless Jabiru (London chamber orchestra) in the Grand Entrance Hall of the world's first ever underwater tunnel for an immersive performance to resist the rising seas.
Chamber orchestra Ruthless Jabiru and digital score pioneers Decibel New Music Ensemble combine forces for a programme inspired by the unholy presence of climate change in the Welsh coastal town of Fairbourne.
Following heavy storms and tidal surges in 2014, Gwynedd County Council controversially announced it would no longer repair Fairbourne’s flood defences indefinitely and with the projected rise in sea levels, the village will no longer be inhabitable from 2054. At this point all Fairbourne’s homes, roads, shops and infrastructure will be dismantled and the area reverted to marshland.
Forecast to be the UK’s first climate refugees, Fairbourne’s 700+ residents reject the decision that their village “isn’t worth saving”, with many initially skeptical of the climate modelling that led to its condemnation. The county’s announcement immediately decimated property values, financing and insurance options for its community; and severely affected hospitality and tourism, with local councillor and activist Stuart Eves describing the situation as “lives destroyed on a supposition”.
In the years since, the people of Fairbourne have maintained their characteristic optimism, with new businesses forged and the liveliness of the community undamped. But the question remains: as extreme weather and sea levels continue to increase, who decides their fate?
