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Excitement is building on campus as UWA prepares to welcome alumni for the University’s Alumni Weekend. The February 8 – 10 weekend promises to be an unforgettable celebratory reunion and a fitting launch for our 2013 Centenary.

Those attending will gather on Friday evening for a cocktail party hosted by the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor. This will be a curtain-raiser to the much anticipated LUMINOUSnight, the University’s centenary gift to the people of Western Australia.

From dusk until midnight, LUMINOUSnight will transform the campus into a walk-through art gallery and performance space. The centrepiece will be a 20-minute filmic projection onto the classic façade of Winthrop Hall, one of Perth’s bestloved landmarks.

The program that will make our campus the place to be on February 8 includes a screening of the 1913 classic Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde with an improvised soundtrack by Nova Ensemble, an original dance work, Peacocks, Crows and Lorikeets, choreographed by Chrissie Parrott, concerts by acclaimed songwriter (and graduate) Fred Smith, the gypsy tango quartet Sagezza and an array of UWA ensembles and bands.

There will also be incredible portrait projections by the internationally renowned projection artist Craig Walsh, giant puppets, theatre performances, augmented reality projections viewed through a free smart phone app obtainable on the night, street theatre, a fireworks finale and much more.

LUMINOUSnight is generously sponsored by Lotterywest and TDC – Technical Direction Company. For program details, performance times and artist information visit: luminousnight.uwa.edu.au .

This fantastic entertainment will be the start of the Alumni Weekend that includes reunions and special events. Lectures and seminars from across the faculties, schools and institutes will be presented by high profile alumni including Sir Rod Eddington, former WA Premier Geoff Gallop and successful Mt Everest mountaineer Patrick Hollingworth. Leading academics will also be involved, including Nobel Laureate Professor Barry Marshall, Oceans Institute Director Professor Carlos Duarte and Professor Peter Quinn, Director of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research.

Running throughout the weekend will be the Writers’ Corner, showcasing award-winning authors in a series of in-conversation sessions, panel discussions and readings. You’ll have a chance to meet authors Robert Drewe, Kim Scott, Nicholas Hasluck, Deborah Burrows, Ambelin Kwaymullina, Brenda Walker, John Kinsella and many more.

An early Saturday evening event will see the launch of a visually stunning artwork by artist, author and film-maker Shaun Tan. The Academy Award winning graduate has designed a Venetian glass mosaic for the University Club. The Italian-style wall sundial titled Hours to Sunset is a Centenary gift to past, present and future students presented by UWA Convocation, the Combined Friends of UWA and Friends of the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery. This event also marks the launch of the UWA Centenary Plant, Hakea laurina (a UWA Friends of the Grounds initiative) by ABC gardening expert Sabrina Hahn.

The weekend would not be complete without a celebration of the wealth of talent the School of Music has nurtured over decades. A stellar line-up of composers will be featured in a CD of original commissions.

Alumni weekenders will be the first to hear music from the CD which features a string of acclaimed graduates including Sara Macliver, Paul Wright, Craig Ogden, Sean Lee-chen, to name but a few. This extraordinary project was made possible through the generosity of graduate music-lovers.

If you have enquiries about the 2013 Alumni Weekend, please contact Meredith Eddington, Alumni Events Manager, on (+61 8) 6488 7946 or by email . For further information visit the Centenary website .

Published in Uniview Vol. 31 No. 3 Spring 2012