IT WAS the American author Tom Wolfe calling the city a ``billion-footed beast'' that inspired dance artist Martin del Amo to create It's A Jungle Out There.
The performance, which runs tomorrow to Saturday at Campbelltown Arts Centre, looks at the ``alienation and exhilaration'' of living in a city.
Del Amo went on field excursions to test the city's impact on his body.
``I was interested in making a work that puts the city at the heart of its exploration and investigates it as an ever-changing organism,'' he told the Advertiser.
``They included walking backwards through Sydney's CBD, walking blind-folded along Parramatta Road during peak hour and crawling on all fours in The Rocks.
``I am fascinated with how living in the city informs, or even shapes, the lives of so many people, and how it impacts on us physically and psychologically.
``Of course, every individual person experiences the urban environment in a different way but we all share the experience of constantly having to negotiate the sprawling, labyrinthine nature of the city and find ways how to navigate through this `jungle'.''
It's A Jungle Out There blends dance with Del Amo's descriptions and musings.
``I talk about the experience of spending 24 hours in the city, outside of my house, and describe some of the photos I took on my mobile each hour,'' he said.
The show will also include experimental sounds by composer Gail Priest, who made audio recordings during her field research.
It's A Jungle Out There: Campbelltown Arts Centre, tomorrow to Saturday, June 27, 8pm. Tickets: $20 adults and $15 concession.
Details: 46454100.