01.08.22
LifeLine
LifeLine was Europe’s largest highwire spectacle over the River Corrib and Claddagh Basin in the heart of Galway City that took place on Saturday, July 16th, 2022.
About LifeLine
LifeLine was Europe's largest highwire spectacle performed over the River Corrib and Claddagh Basin in Galway City. Staged on 7 highwires and featuring a cast of 150 people of all ages and backgrounds, audiences witnessed a stunning display of strength and resilience over one of Ireland’s most iconic waterways. LifeLine was a free, drop-in event that ran continually over five hours from 1:30-6:30pm, with the finale performance of BassAlto at 5:30pm.
LifeLine used wirewalking as a practice to improve wellbeing, and aspired to reinfuse hope into a landscape that carries great sadness and beauty. The event featured performances by professional highwire artists Oliver Zimmerman, Andrea Loreni and Ellis Grover, a 42-person European Youth Ensemble, the premiere of the Creative Europe funded show 'BassAlto,' and highwire walks by community participants from across Ireland. LifeLine aimed to remind us that we can all achieve the impossible.
LifeLine featured Musical Direction by Michael Chang and Costume Design by Ella Daly.Performances by: Cirkus Cirkör (SE), CIRQUEON (CZ), Coraggio - Die Kulturanstifter (DE), Circus Amersfoort (NL), Școala de Circ (RO), Ecolé de Cirque de Bruxelles (BE), Dublin Circus Project, Circus Factory Cork, Cloughjordan Circus Club, Galway Community Circus.
LifeLine was a part of the Galway International Arts Festival 2022 programme.
LifeLine Funders and Supporters
LifeLine was produced and presented by Galway Community Circus and was funded by an Open Call award from Arts Council Ireland. Other funders, partners and contributors included Creative Europe, Erasmus+, Mental Health Ireland, Finnish Institute UK + Ireland, Galway City and County Councils, the European Centre of Funambulism, Circus Factory Cork, Cloughjordan Circus Club, Dublin Circus Project, Galway County Council Arts Office, Cork County Council Arts Office, Tipperary County Council Arts Office and Dublin City Arts Office.
The LifeLine Participation Programme
LifeLine saw the delivery of Galway Community Circus's first ever National Participation Programme.
Using the ‘funambulism for all’ methodology, we engaged 122 people in 4 counties in Ireland to train to be part of our wirewalking cast for the LifeLine highwire spectacle on 16th of July, 2022. We partnered with Circus Factory Cork, Cloughjordan Circus Club, Dublin Circus Project, Galway County Council Arts Office, Cork County Council Arts Office, Tipperary County Council Arts Office and Dublin City Arts Office to recruit participants, specifically targeting marginalised groups to ensure social inclusion and diversity. Galway Community Circus’ funambulism tutors travelled to each location to deliver wirewalking training.
Our tutors took participants through a 5-day course beginning on wires 0.5m from ground level and progressing to a highwire at 4m. As well as funambulism technique, the course included training in anxiety-management and mindfulness to help participants overcome nervousness and fear and start their personal journey towards ‘achieving the impossible.’
While it varies between individuals, our pilot programmes showed that most participants progress from complete beginner to confidently completing a highwire walk within 5 days.