A Union Jack will be drenched in "the blood of First Nations peoples from territories colonised by the British Empire" as part an art piece, according to organisers on Friday.
Those heading Tasmania's 'Dark Mofo' music and arts festival said in a statement they were requesting "expressions of interest" from "First Nations peoples from countries and territories colonised by the British Empire at some point in their history, who reside in Australia".
"Participants will be required to donate a small amount of blood for the artwork, facilitated by a medical professional before the festival", organisers said.
The statement added that once "expressions of interest have closed, one participant will be randomly selected to represent each country (for instance, one person from Canada, one from New Zealand, one from Sudan, one from Fiji etc)".
Once the flag is covered in blood, "will be put on display during the festival", according to the organisers.
The performance will be title 'Union Flag' and will be conducted by Spanish artist Santiago Sierra and is the "first major project for the 2021 festival".
Sierra in his own statement that the "First Nations people of Australia suffered enormously and brutally from British colonialism".
"Nowhere more so than in Tasmania where the Black War in the early 19th century had a devastating impact, almost killing the entire Tasmanian Aboriginal population — an act that has since been defined as genocide".
Leigh Carmichael, the creative director of Dark Mofo, called Sierra's work "complex" and "sometimes confronting" as much of his work tends to deal with "social inequities".
Tasked with presenting a new direction for Dark Mofo, the 'Union Flag' piece is reportedly the result of nearly two years of work between his studio and the festival organisers.
The cultural identity of those involved in the project will not be required to provide evidence, those organising the event said.
Dark Mofo's festivals have often become the subject of controversy as well as praise for their provocative spectacle. In 2018, performance artist Mike Parr emerged at city intersection days after being shut in a buried container.
Austrian avant-garde artist Hermann Nitsch oversaw a performance in 2018 where volunteers covered themselves in the bloody organs from the carcass of a slaughtered bull in a show that lasted hours for hours.
In 2016, inverted illuminated crosses were established in a number of locations surrounding Hobart's wharf precinct, seeing critics warn that the event was inciting "dark forces" to the city.
An ongoing debate exists in Australia about the continuation of the current flag and how maintaining the British flag in their own standard.
While the colonial period in Australia and New Zealand has been subject to controversy, particularly around the treatment of Maori and aboriginal people's the Union Jack is not solely seen with disdain among respective populations.
In 2015 and 2016, flag referendums were held by the New Zealand Government which resulted in the retention of the current flag, which bears the Union Jack.