explore Trans, Non Binary and Gender Diverse stories inside the giant Cochlea

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

love is listening

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.

Cochlea premiered at Melbourne’s Midsumma Festival 2023 and was installed indoors as part of Snuffest Festival in September 2023.

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 has been supported through the Melbourne City Revitalisation