Once upon a time, an Ice Queen lived in a cave covered in long hanging icicles and haunting ghost nets. Her tale is one that captivates the entire room and so begins Finucane & Smith's follow up to the smashing success of The Rapture and its exploration of art, culture, life and extinction, The Rapture Chapter II: Art vs Extinction.
Finucane is an expert storyteller, seamlessly merging fairy tale, pop culture and brutal truths into her stories, which incorporates her recent trip she took to Antarctica. Her transformation from one persona to another is incredible to watch as she raises issues around fracking, animal extinction and rising sea levels that come straight from her heart. These stories are shared to motivate us to work together to ensure the planet is not worse off than how we found it.
Any show created by Moira Finucane is going to be visually arresting and have people in awe by what they have witnessed. Her new show, The Rapture, is no exception as she grapples with the themes of art, extinction and the space in between through a variety of storytelling, live art performances and a whole lot of heart.
Finucane's strong storytelling skills are evident as she has us hanging of her every word. It's a shame however that the sound was not always up to scratch, with moments where we are unable to hear what Finucane is saying. Her recollections of her time in Chile and France are fascinating and linked in well with the performances. "A Sunny Afternoon" is a breathtaking act, and a personal favourite, where Finucane makes a powerful statement about our expectations and idealisation of beauty and women in society. This non-verbal piece is paired with U2’s hit song "With or Without You" and its gradual fierce impact is easily felt throughout the audience.
