Ben Apfelbaum

THAW : A LEGS ON. THE WALL PREMIERE

Joshua Thomson – Artistic Director
Jenni Large
Jenni Large
Jenni Large
Vicki Van Hout

Anchored in the Opera House forecourt a giant crane dangles a woman atop an iceberg shaped in an inverted triangle. What we are witnessing over a three day period is a visual representation of the way in which glaciers worldwide are retreating and melting due to the effects of climate change.

In its thirty seven year history Legs On The Wall has not merely entertained by their physicality and death defying acrobatics. They have also performed with an expressive moral imperative oN an ecological theme consistently over the years.

Over eight hours per day for the first two days and for six hours on the last day the harnessed woman performs acrobatic and dance moves on the iceberg.

The performance is accompanied by durational music composed by Alaskan composer Matthew Burtner. 

Choreography above and on the iceberg is entitled The Woman and co-created by Legs On The Wall Artistic Director Joshua Thomson. 

Vicki Van Hout, Jenni Large, Isabel Esprelli, the later three venturing onto the icen solo performances. 

To emphasise the melting of the icebergs there is an amplified drippingater soundtrack.I attended the first and third days and there was marked, proportional shrinkage of the iceberg above Sydney Harbour.

In its simplicity and its directness THAW creates a powerful impact of concern and urgency. 

Vicki Van Hout

Vicki Van Hout

Text and pics by Ben Apfelbaum

Published by Ben Apfelbaum

My photography began when my father handed me the proverbial brownie box camera as a child. As cameras developed I went through Fujica and Olympus range finders graduating to my first single lens reflex camera, the Minolta SRT101, the latter being the greatest facilitator to my growth as a photographer. Digital photography has only added to this. I was a regular contributor to Camera Craft magazine (Australian Camera ) for over three years. During Australia’s Bicentennial year (1988) I made it a personal project to document the celebrations. This culminated in the creation of a book of my photos which was published in 1989. The book was called CELEBRATING AUSTRALIA and came with an accompanying calendar. My works have appeared in a number of publications including the coffee book entitled MY AUSTRALIA (1989), publisher Robertsbridge Severn. This book had a preface by the then Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke. I was a co-photographer on a book entitled SYDNEY- DISCOVER THE CITY with text written by Robert Treborland. Major Mitchell Press was the publisher. Also for two years I was the photographer for calendars celebrating Sydney’s multicultural communities. The two calendars were entitled MULTICULTURAL SYDNEY. My work appeared in a group exhibition held at Sydney’s Town Hall pertaining to the diversity of life in South America to raise money for orphanages there. I have over one hundred photos stored in the New South Wales State Library archive. I had a solo exhibition held in 2007 entitled Ben’s Lens at the Sydney Jewish Museum which celebrated the vibrancy of the Sydney Jewish community. Some of these photos are on the Museum’s permanent display. I have exhibited internationally firstly at the Spruill Gallery in Atlanta Georgia, united states, and in an exhibition entitled Kosher and Co at the Jewish Museum in Berlin. Currently I am a regular contributor to J-Wire and this esteemed publication.