32-year-old John Birdsall was born with cerebral palsy. He’s wheelchair-bound and speaks by tapping out words on an electronic communicator – but he hasn’t let that stop him doing a 15,000ft tandem skydive. Or go jet skiing. Or motorcycling.

Or travelling across Europe’s largest volcanic desert in Iceland on a quad bike, which was pulled the rest of the way by horses after it broke down.

John can certainly stand on his own two feet in terms of independence, but physically he’s only ever been able to shuffle around on his knees. But that changed when his friend Hamish Halley, from Flesh Wound piercing studio in Wellington, New Zealand, made him part of a suspension performance at local goth night, Shadow Play.