I don’t need to explain myself
It’s hard when you first transition
I feel very safe, no body shouts at me in the streets anymore
I’m allowed to be myself
I wish that I wasn’t so scared and fully say what I wanted
Cochlea – a giant inflatable installation celebrating voices from the frontlines of gender.
Amorphous puppets invite you to enter a winding cavern of interlocking tubes and passages, culminating in the spiral vortex at the centre of the inner ear. A world of soft-edged chambers, geometric forms, and colour-saturated light.
Inside the huge 15-meter Cochlea, gender terrorist OPAL presents immersive interviews with trans, non binary and gender diverse locals.
Cochlea draws on Snuff Puppets’ 30-year legacy of giant public spectacles and presenting giant Human Body Parts as symbols of our shared humanity.
Premiered outdoors at Midsumma Festival 2023. Subsequently presented indoors at Snuffest Festival 2023 and Darebin’s FUSE Festival 2025.
Download the Cochlea Pitch PDF for presenters.
Voices: Jo Clifford, Parminder Kaur, Niki Koutouzi, Josie Hess, Lily Longman, Claire Mulraney, Clara Roebuck, Ash Spittal, Kikki Temple
Artistic Director, Designer, Builder: Nick Wilson
Resident Artist: OPAL
Producer: Ro Bright
Pupppet Builders: Erin Hall, Daniele Poidomani, Liam Berg, Andy Freer, Caito Zacharias
Thank You: H & M Cafe, Karen Bryant, Brendan Cooney, Shian Ching Lee
Midsumma x Ignite Melbourne – supported through the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund
