Choreographer: Sun Im Her
1 Degree Celsius is born out of silence as Sung Im Her rolls onto the stage and opens with a solo. The only sound comes from the soft galloping of her movement in wide circles, gradually establishing a rhythm. Momentum builds when the ensemble joins her, facing in different directions and positioned across the stage at varying angles. Their stillness slowly fractures into motion as the gradual shifts are reminiscent of drifting icebergs.
Mio Jue’s costume design embraces an earthy palette of greens, blues, browns and creams, evoking the natural world as a living entity. Diamond-like shards on each costume flash red on the underside when movement intensifies, suggesting rupture and transformation.
This opening section foregrounds the fluidity of the body, with performers gently rocking and shifting through precise, interlocking patterns. Each follows a distinct path, yet collectively they reveal the interconnectedness of nature. The performers’ controlled physicality and deliberately vacant expressions lend them to embody both the physical and conceptual nature of climate change itself.
Those seeking a narrative-driven work may find this piece elusive, as Sung Im Her’s choreography favours an open, interpretative approach. Rather than recounting the story of climate change, it traces its evolving rhythms. She deftly explores the intrinsic bond between humanity and the natural world as bodies undulate and flow in and out of sync as waves.
Husk Husk and Lucy Duncan’s intricate sound design evolves from meditative synths into a pulsing, insistent rhythm. As the piece progresses, the performers walk to the beat, occasionally breaking free from the collective wandering mass. Whether representing society’s relentless consumption or the mechanised momentum of human activity, the effect is hypnotic in its trance-like reflection of environmental vastness.
Young Uk Lee’s lighting design, primarily a concert-like backdrop of beams, reaches its most striking moment when Sung Im Her returns to the stage alone, drenched in icy blues and silhouetted against the void.
The ending, though falling ever so slightly shy of the intensity that precedes it, uses the sound of human breath and the rustle of plastic to bring the piece full circle, grounding its abstract beauty in the reality of our environmental impact.
Reviewed on 6 November 2025
KUNSTY runs until 8 November at Southbank Centre
