Dave Hullfish Bailey + Sam Watson’s Maiwar Performance

The CityCat Project is an ongoing collaboration between Sam Watson, a Brisbane-based Aboriginal writer and activist, and Los Angeles artist Dave Hullfish Bailey. The project revolves around the ‘Maiwar Performance’, in which CityCat ferries cross the Brisbane River, or Maiwar, to execute unannounced manoeuvres. These actions occur near a site of significance to the Aboriginal people, who lived in the lands around Brisbane before the 19th century colonisation.

After its first iteration in 2006, Sam declared the ‘Maiwar Performance’ a Dreaming—this meant the occasion should be repeated periodically. The event has since been restaged in 2009, 2012 and 2016, and will take place again this year, in conjunction with BAD 2019.