Commissioned By Bangarra Dance Theatre And Vivid Sydney 

Yellow wattle blooms across skin. Bodies stretch, recoil and resist unseen forces as words of colonisation are scrawled across their forms. The weight of history is undeniable, as these figures are pulled across and between four screens as if being dragged from the past and into the present, and back again.

This evocative projection blends contemporary dance, physical theatre and cutting-edge gostMESH technology to explore the ongoing impact of government policies on First Nations communities. Created by the acclaimed Bangarra Dance Theatre in collaboration with Reconciliation Australia, An Act of Being marks the 25th anniversary of the People’s Walk for Reconciliation across the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Historic documents, constitutional text and fragmented data are projected onto moving bodies—living, breathing proof of displacement and resistance. Suspended mid-air, tethered by elastic cords, they fight to break free.

An Act of Being is an act of truth-telling, a reclamation of identity and a vision of a future shaped by the strength of generations past.

Country represented by installation: Australia

Credit

CO-DIRECTOR & EDITOR
Cass Eipper  

CO-DIRECTOR & CHOREOGRAPHER
Frances Rings  

CONSULTANT
Karen Mundine, Reconciliation Australia 

COMPOSER
Leon Rodgers  

PERFORMERS
Kassidy Waters, James Boyd, Jye Uren, Janaya Lamb, Amberlilly Gordon, Donta Whitham  

MOTION DESIGN & ART DIRECTION
Andy Noonan  

VFX
Tom Spiers  

PRODUCER
Michaela Le  

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Tony Luu  

1ST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Stuart Beedie  

1ST ASSISTANT CAMERA
Anne-sophia Marie  

GAFFER
Cameron Wintour  

LIGHTING ASSIST 1
Damian Seagar  

SOUND MIXED
Julian Schweitzer  

VOCALS AND SPEECH
Fred Leone  

ARTISTIC OPERATIONS DIRECTOR
Daniel Roberts 

HAIR AND MAKE UP
Desiree Wise  

WARDROBE
Sophie Raper  

MARKETING COORDINATOR
Gisella Joy Mandaglio  

ART DIRECTOR
Cat Studley  

REHEARSAL ASSISTANT
Rikki Mason  

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS
Lucy Mitchell, Emjay Matthews, Ashleigh King, Jessica Hodgkinson, Peta-louise Rixom  

RUNNERS
Hewett Cook, Mariella Solano