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