Branch Nebula's mind-bending one-man show High Performance Packing Tape will take The Studio by storm from 18-22 September as part of the UnWrapped September series. The season follows a critically acclaimed, sold-out premiere at Liveworks 2018 and comes to the Sydney Opera House after an international premiere at HomoNovus Festival in Riga in September, and will also tour to Melbourne Festival in October.
Boundary-pushing performance-makers Branch Nebula use ready-made objects, stationery and hardware items to place solo performer Lee Wilson in a series of tension-inducing planes and predicaments, pushing both artist and materials to breaking point. High Performance Packing Tape explores fear, the dynamics of self-preservation and risk- management to create thrilling new possibilities for physical performance.
Wilson deftly transforms everyday materials and office consumables into the infrastructure of his own peril. He scales towers of empty cardboard boxes that inevitably collapse, suspends himself from materials that stretch and snap, and balances precariously on structures held together by inflated balloons. This captivating performance holds the audience in an electrifying state of suspense at the very point where control and chaos collide.
Renowned for socially and politically engaged performance work that emphasises site-specificity, inter-disciplinary skills and audience engagement, Branch Nebula is an independent Sydney-based company with a strong reputation on the international festival circuit, regularly touring nationally and internationally to the likes of Sydney Festival, Santiago A Mil (Chile), Urb Festival (Finland), Freespace Fest (Hong Kong), In Transit festival (Berlin), Kultureel Centrum nOna and Victoria Festival (Belgium) and Auawirleben festival (Switzerland).
The Opera House's UnWrapped September series also includes The Irresistible from Side Pony Production and The Last Great Hunt, and two performance lectures exploring the role of the artist in our climate emergency: David Finnigan's You're Safe Until 2024 and Rosalind Crisp's DIRtywork.
Dates: 18- 22 September 2019
Location: The Studio, Sydney Opera House Tickets: $39 + booking fee
Pre-sale commences 9am Wednesday 31 July
Tickets on sale to general public from 9am Friday 2 August
Age recommendation: 14+ (performance contains smoke, strobe lighting and nudity) https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/events/whats-on/unwrapped/2019/high-performance-packing-tape.html
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