From utopia to ubiquity: plastics’ journey is focus of new opera

The composer-in-residence at the Museum of Design in Plastics (MoDIP) has produced a new chamber opera exploring the journey of plastics. 

Called ‘Synthetica: A toxic enchantment' the one-off special event tells the story of plastics from their early utopian days to their current ubiquity.  

Composed by Karen Wimhurst and co-presented by Bournemouth-based MoDIP, Synethetica will take to the stage at Tete a Tete's prestigious London festival on August 8. 

Explaining the inspiration for the new work, Wimhurst said: “As the composer in residence with the MODIP, I was leafing through their archives and I came across this map, ‘synthetica’, in ‘Home and Household’ magazine [from] 1940 and there it was - the metaphorical map for the rise of our synthetic world.” 

She continued: “It has the crystalline rivers of styrene; the island of rayon. It was the utopian excitement of possibility; of course, ironic now. 

“Because of that I become very interested in the history of plastics - so going from celluloid and Bakelite - true utopian visions of this material - though to the second World War when we really had true mass production capability and saw plastics entering the home, to the point where we are now, where I can’t go for two minutes without touching something plastic in my life.” 

That research and inspiration is now Synthetica. Those attending can look forward to what Wimhurst describes as “a fractured and poetic sung narrative”, that tells a story full of heady discoveries by industrial chemist, consumer crazes fuelled by the dawn of advertising, the facilitation of our easy living, plastics as a massive aid in the face of poverty and the face of environmental catastrophe; ultimately, the light and the dark. 

Synthetica will be performed at ‘The Place’, 17 Duke’s Road, London on August 8 at 8:45pm and tickets are on sale now. For more information and to purchase, click here. To watch a trailer of the performance, see below.