River Crossing Highwire Camp 2020: Highwire Training

A 90 metre highwire spans the verdant fields of the NSW Northern Rivers in search of Con Colleano, the world's greatest tightwire walker of all time, an Indigenous man, born 1899 in nearby Lismore on Bundjalung land.

For the Highwire Camp, we designed and rigged a 90 metre highwire with highwire simulator safety system to offer a safe space for Indigenous young people to learn to walk a long distance wire. Working in partnership with Ghurrumbil Dreaming Indigenous Corporation and a host of key Indigenous artists, including Karla Dickens, Djon Mundine, Dylan Singh, Coedie McCarthy and Kirk Page, we created physical and visual spaces to explore Con's identity and legacy as the 'Wizard of the Wire'.

We also had the pleasure of working with leading creatives such as Annemaree Dalzeil on costumes, Joey Ruigrok van der Werven on design and Jon Blake and Lachy Shelly on rigging and highwire expertise.

This is Stage 3 of a 4 stage project. Stage 4 in 2021 (COVID TBC) will see a 90 metre wire suspended 5 metres over the Wilson River in Lismore to celebrate Con's birthplace. The event will see professional wire walkers alongside local Indigenous young people walk the wire over the river to celebrate Con and to reclaim his legacy, for Indigenous Australians and for all Australians everywhere. 

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.