Survivor at Lismore

On Friday 20 July, Lismore Regional Gallery hosted the Survivor performance which involved 24 local participants and the artist, Dadang Christanto. Survivor is a major performance that was initially developed by Christanto in 2008 as a live protest against an environmental disaster in East Java which saw hot volcanic mud wipe out eleven villages and destroy many lives. 

Like the original performance, volunteers from the local community covered themselves in mud and held photographic portraits of faces lost in the disaster, enduring and maintaining a still silence for two hours to memorialise the event and its ongoing impacts.

Following this significant and moving performance is the exhibition of the untouched remaining detritus, photographic documentation and video footage – showing at Lismore Regional Gallery until 25 August 2012.

To follow a ‘day in the life’ journey of one of the Survivor participants, see the video below. ABC Open North Coast producer Catherine Marciniak and contributor Jenny Grinlington follow Rebecca Kinsey as she takes part as a volunteer in a performance artwork. 

To hear more about the performance from the artist and Lismore Regional Gallery Director, Brett Adlington, see video below.


Courtesy of Echonetdaily. Video by Sharon Shostak.

Story by Lillian.