Endling - The last known individual of a species or subspecies. Once the endling dies, the species becomes extinct.

Coinciding with threatened species day, 7th Sept, 2024, Esk Studio collaborated with Grafton Regional Gallery to present a panel of exhibiting artists on extinction and transform the Grafton Regional Gallery courtyard into a live theatre space for an afternoon of ritual performance.

Bowing down before her ancient pulse, the last lovers left alive… The Endlings.

Cycles eclipse, collapse and re-birth... The tide of her breath holds us.

Living through endings, dying through beginnings, we hold flame to the void of her vast, timeless cycle.

Bones become stones, our lungs the trees, a ritual to her breathing soil, growing, sustaining and devouring us in sacred loops of the infinite.

In the dark spaces of quiet minds we know she has given us a choice… honour or perish.

The Endlings, gatekeepers of what will be, forever lovers in death.

Concept - Al Stark, Aviva Reed
Artwork - Al Stark
Choreography & performance - Jade Dewi, Aviva Reed
Technical support - Jack Tarlinton, Chantal Kirby
Videographer - Maiara Rocha Skarheim
Music - ‘Only Death is Real’, Burial Chamber Trio.
‘Futo’, Shida Shahabi.
Photography - Simon Hughes Media, Grafton Regional Gallery.