The River Crossing

Simone O’Brien & Joey Ruigrok van der Werven

Company: SeedArts Australia
Year the project commenced:2018 
Year it became impossible:2020 
Audience not reached: 4000​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Crossing the Wilson River in Lismore on a 6-metre high and 90-metre long tightrope sounds like an impossible task; but it likely would have been a cinch for Con Colleano. Born in Lismore in the North of NSW and of First Nations descent, Con was arguably the best tightwire artist ever being the first person to achieve the impossible front sault on the wire. With a plan to celebrate his skill, entertain large crowds and infuse a sense of achievement for some of the disadvantaged and disenfranchised Widjabul Wiyabul youth in Lismore, SeedArts Australia hatched a plan to stage The River Crossing. It was to be a large-scale outdoor event that would see professional high wire walkers and Bundjalung community members cross the Wilson River in Lismore via high wire.
Initially scheduled for August 2020, the project had already had substantial investment and planning before being postponed and eventually cancelled for the year due to the pandemic. Also cancelled was Karla Dickens’ "A Dickensian Sideshow" at the River in caravan galleries. Postponed but still going ahead this year is the Highwire Bootcamp, a copy of the entire tightrope that will be built on their property (without the river) that will allow community members to safely learn the skill of tightrope walking. They are now working towards 2021 and hope to build something which can return annually or biennially.
Artistic director - Simone O’Brien 
Designer - Joey Ruigrok van der Werven 
Head Rigger -Jon Blake 
Associate Artist -Kirk Page 
Sound artist - Coedie McCarthy 
Visual Artist - Karla Dickens 
Performers - Ashley Brophy, Dylan Singh, 
Lachy Shelley, Chelsea McGuffin 
Safety Officer -Roger Graham 
Partner - Lismore City Council

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