Miranda July

Wave of Fortune

“Sports test my patience, but I have an endless appetite for oracles.”

Miranda July is a writer, filmmaker, and artist. Her acclaimed films like Me and You and Everyone We Know, award-winning novels All Fours and The First Bad Man, and her interactive installations and visual art projects explore longing, connection, vulnerability, and the absurdity of everyday life.

July’s Wave of Fortune takes inspiration from the beloved 1970s Disney Land ride Pirates of the Carribean. Players putt their ball up a cartoonishly sculpted wave, before it disappears from sight. Where it reemerges is left to fate, landing at one of several flags, each delivering a different fortune.

Wave of Fortune replaces competition with cosmic wisdom. There’s no winning instead, each player’s turn becomes a kind of personal reading. Like much of July’s writing and film, Wave of Fortune invites us into a tender and slightly off-kilter world.

Installation view of ‘Wave of Fortune‘, Miranda July (2025). Commissioned by RISING Melbourne. PHOTO: Shannyn Higgins.