THE LIGHTNING FURIES
2016 – 2018
Photo: Kristinn Hermanniusson
The Lightning Furies is a bike gang of tough women and non-binary people, dedicated to a feminist mission of utopic bad-assery. Wearing denim vests, bikes adorned with pennants, the Furies ride en masse through urban streets, wind through laneways and hold up traffic.
Aesthetically, the Lightning Furies fall somewhere in between an outlaw bikie gang, Girl Guides, and the Vuvelini (Mad Max: Fury Road). We have a Manifesto and an Oath. We have gang colours and patches. We are fierce and inventive and ready to smash the patriarchy with boots and glitter.
LIGHTNING FURIES RIDE #8: mELBOURNE
Doing Feminism / Sharing the World
January 2018
LIGHTNING FURIES RIDE #7: NEWCASTLE
Crack Theatre Festival - This Is Not Art
September/October 2016
As part of Crack Theatre Festival and This Is Not Art the Furies took on Newcastle with two awesome rides around this pretty town. The weather was perfect and we were delighted to ride with locals as well as artists from around Australia. We also held two very successful feminist bike craft workshops before the rides! Photos and video below.
LIGHTNING FURIES RIDE #6: Vic Park
August 2016
Photo by the Vic Park Collective.
The Furies were excited to be asked to come down to Vic Park for Walk Ride Stride, a really great car-free intiative by the Vic Park Collective. The ride was gorgeous, water by our side almost the whole way. Upon arriving at the end we were greeted with loud cheers which was nice. Lots of new Furies this month and a delightful Farmer's Market brunch at the end.
More photos to come!
LIGHTNING FURIES RIDE #5: CLAREMONT
July 2016
Photo by a very enthusiastic young man.
We actually wanted to ride to Cottesloe but were hit pretty early on with torrential rain! We hid under a bridge next to the river and saw two dolphins, so that almost made up for how drenched we were. And then the hills. Nedlands and Claremont, they're seriously full of hills! So drenched and exhausted we decided to stop for a very pleasant brunch in Claremont and save Cottesloe for the summer!
LIGHTNING FURIES RIDE #4: GUILDFORD
June 2016
Photo by a kind passerby
Our longest ride yet! 9 Furies took on the Perth to Guildford challenge, with the lure of brunch proving effective. It rained again but the route was delightfully flat! Would recommend.
LIGHTNING FURIES RIDE #3: MAYLANDS
May 2016
Photo by a rad lady from Lucky Skates!
A small yet brave group of Furies set out in the rain to check out some community festivities in Maylands. We were pleased to meet up with the crew from Lucky Skates, some of our tuff lady inspo!
LIGHTNING FURIES RIDE #2: Projector bike
April 2016
All images and video by Moving Still Productions
The Furies were honoured to be asked to partner with The City of Perth and Melbourne group Projector Bike to present a ladies only city ride, projecting films by Snapcat, other women artists and bike documentary makers onto walls in empty carparks! Set to a solid soundtrack of Grimes and headed up by Fury Danni on the Projector Bike, this was truly a thrilling night!
LIGHTNING FURIES RIDE #1: West Leederville
March 2016
All images by Emiko Watanabe
The Furies ride monthly, this was our very first ride. Beginning and ending in Leederville this ride saw the inaugural swearing of the gang oath and the first public flying of gang colours.
Destroy the patriarchy,
Explore the city,
Cause heads to turn,
Make the Lightning Furies known throughout the land,
May we all ride together in harmony,
No men
RUMBLESTRIP
March 2016
Photo: Yvonne Doherty
RUMBLESTRIP imagined a future urban habitat made from the detritus of current built environments, imbued with a riotous end-of-times aesthetic, radically restructuring the rules of urban play and celebrating the world’s most demographically isolated city. It is at once dark and luminous, critical yet joyous.
Taking place for one loud, epic night only, RUMBLESTRIP occupied a large disused urban lot, close to the heart of Perth city yet at the seedy fringes of gentrification. It featured new collaborative works by seven Perth artists that integrated sound, mobile sculptural installation, video, inflatable structures and performance work.
Artists: Neil Aldum, Erin Coates, Shaun Gladwell, Loren Holmes, Stuart James, Simone Johnston, Snapcat (Renae Coles & Anna Dunnill, aka The Lightning Furies)
Photo: Kristinn Hermanniusson
Images above by Yvonne Doherty (1-3) and Eva Fernandez (4-9).