UPDATE: JANUARY 6, 2020 — Due to complications caused by the ongoing NSW bushfires, Sydney Festival has cancelled performances on Friday, January 17 and Sunday, January 19. The Mermaid will still sun on Saturday, January 18.
Performance artist Hanna Cormick is asking who gets to make art and why. Cormick has genetic disorders that mean she uses a wheelchair, brace and respirator — she cannot breathe normal air. In this show, she repurposes those medical devices to imagine herself as a mermaid, unable to breathe the air that we take for granted. It's a show that challenges our approach to sharing and consuming resources but it's also an act of defiance; Cormick risks seizures and allergic reactions whenever she performs in public. The show also comes with a warning for other people with airborne sensitivities and trigger warnings for medical references. It takes place at the Coal Loader and it's one of the cheaper shows to catch during the Festival.