Thaw

The first production of the aerial performance Thaw, by Legs On The Wall, took place in 2022 and consisted of a 2.7-ton block of sculpted ice suspended 20 meters over Sydney Harbour. In this production, three artists took turns performing for a total duration of over 10 hours as the ice slowly melted under their feet. Their successive performances embodied various responses to the melting ice: destruction, action, hope.

In Thaw, ice not only provides a spectacular performance platform; it is also treated as a live agent whose slow transformation occupies a central role in the production. The intimate contact between human actors and this dazzling, dripping chunk of the cryosphere creates a palpable sense of awe in the audience. Upon observing the interplay of a dancing body with the suspended and slowly disappearing stage, questions of scale and the significance of human impact become surprisingly tangible. Moreover, the esthetically compelling nature of the production juxtaposes breathtaking loss with imminent danger and provokes a host of reflections: Are we flighting away our future like dancers on an ever-melting planet? How to reconcile mourning with militating?  At what point will it become impossible to sustain the dance?

The performance has traveled to six different cities so far, with more to come.      – A. Street