“It’s a confronting spectacle, full of jeopardy, and also hope”
— Dance Magazine UK
When you’re ready to make a bold statement, to put your money where your mouth is, and show tens of thousands of people and the world’s media what you stand for, we’re ready to bring you THAW.
THAW has an extensive pre-production process involving the freezing of rigging mechanisms into a 2.7 tonne ice form that is then hung from a crane in a public space and three artists perform atop it as it gradually melts over 10 hours.
Wherever it has been performed, it has become the poster child of the festival, the city, and many times attracted global media attention (its Sydney season made the New York Times). Legs On The Wall are committed to community activation that sits alongside the presentation of THAW and can be bespoke to your setting.
High above, suspended by a crane, a figure isolated on three tonnes of melting ice struggles for balance. As sunset approaches what will be left?
Created by Joshua Thomson, with an original score by Alaska’s Matthew Burtner, THAW is a potent metaphor for our time and an inspirational act of endurance, supported by unprecedented achievements in design and engineering.
An urgent call to act on climate together, THAW reaches across languages and circumstances to reflect humanity’s shared contemporary truth:
There’s no time to waste.
Fast Facts
Genre
Spectacle, physical theatre
Venue Suitability
Site Specific
Duration
8-10 hours
Touring History
Greenwich and Docklands Festival, London, UK 2024
Antwerp Summer Festival, Antwerp, The Netherlands, 2024
Nelson Arts Festival, New Zealand, 2023
MONA FOMA, Tasmania, Australia, 2022
Sydney Opera House and Sydney Festival, Sydney, Australia, 2022