Anna-Wili Highfield - Mating Dance

with sound by Bree Van Reyk

First exhibited at Glasshouse Regional Gallery, NSW, in 2022, the show also travelled to Mudgee Arts Precinct. NSW, in 2022.

‘Mating Dance’ was an installation of eight brolgas in courtship formation. These sculptures were a homage to Australia's principal dancing bird. The brolgas, averaging 1.5 - 2m wide, were created from waxed cotton and brass rods. Suspended like marionettes, they appeared stopped in mid-ballet, in gestures of call, response and mimicry.

Composer and musician Bree van Reyk created an accompanying sound piece. Van Reyk’s composition joined the dancing birds with instrumentals inspired by the brolga’s bold trumpeting.

Created after an artist’s residency at Glasshouse in 2021, when Australia had endured fires, floods and plague, Highfield's installation was an optimistic display of nature on the cusp of renewal. The spirit of Mating Dance was a ‘flirtation with life.’

“I acknowledge the Wiradjuri, Birpai, Dunghutti and Gadigal people as the traditional custodians of the lands and waters on which I have made and exhibited these brolgas. I also acknowledge that the brolgas, in their varied habitats across this continent, have a timeless connection to the custodians of these lands.”

Anna-Wili Highfield