“A stunning, intriguing, completely unique, animation. Has a sense of timelessness to it whilst at the same time being very modern in its themes”
In Bizet’s aria Habanera, Carmen describes love as l’oiseau rebelle (the rebel bird), a force you can neither tame nor escape. With a new electro-acoustic arrangement, digitised charcoal animation and a permanent record on the blockchain, we have reframed the metaphor to confront our relationship with run-away technology.
“Merav Eldan, Leo Crane and Zachary Whitney are doing fascinating things blending opera, animation, and immersive experiences.”
- Cozomo de’ Medici, #MediciMinutes
L’amour rebelle launched with a live performance in Los Angeles on 29 March 2022, featuring mezzosoprano Merav Eldan, dressed in couture designed by Rami Kadi. Zachary Whitney conducted players from the LA Philharmonic under Leo Crane’s charcoal animation in a 360-degree projection dome. We documented the event with a collection of NFTs, a permanent record of concept drawings, ephemera from the performance and special edition vinyl records on the blockchain.
Crane’s film was then reformatted for theatrical release, premiering at the Oscar-qualifying Provincetown International Film Festival in June 2022. It has since been exhibited and screened at numerous festivals and museums around the world, from a giant billboard in New York to a six-screen installation in Paris. The NFT collection continues to expand as we document the L’amour rebelle journey.
Interview with Deborah Espect for Latest TV
Couture for the live performance by Rami Kadi Maison de Couture
A Figuration/Electrifying Opera co-production
UK-Israel | 4 mins | 2022
L’amour rebelle premiered with a live performance in Los Angeles on 29 March 2022. Since then, it has been selected for numerous international film festivals, displayed on a super-sized billboard in New York, shown in galleries as single and multi-screen installations, and has inspired a number of talks and workshops.
The L’ amour rebelle NFTs are a permanent record of the first-ever live opera on the blockchain. The collection documents the project’s journey from concept drawings to live performance, studio recording, cinematic film and gallery installation. Attached to the digital tokens are artworks are objects, including computer-chipped vinyl records, original charcoal drawings, a film, as well as a Time Capsule created and sealed at the World Premiere performance.
