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Thursday, 11 February 2016

Perth International Arts Festival 2016 has kicked off with the unveiling of the new Festival home at Elizabeth Quay and a spectacular opening weekend featuring a stellar cast of Western Australian artists.

The new Chevron Festival Gardens at Elizabeth Quay is a vibrant hub for festival-goers to gather, eat, drink, and enjoy a dynamic line-up of world-class musicians over the next 24 nights.

Electronic music pioneer Nightmares on Wax opens the Contemporary Music program tonight with a sold-out show against a dramatic city backdrop.

Chevron Festival Gardens will take audiences on a journey through poetic folk to African rhythms, contemporary jazz to high energy Balkan, including a diverse program of artists including Jose Gonzalez, Kev Carmody, Goran Bregovic, Little Simz, Jóhann Jóhannson Marlon Williams, Sleater-Kinney, Ibeyi and the first Australian appearance of House Gospel Choir.

The $17.6 million 64th Perth International Arts Festival is the inaugural program for Artistic Director Wendy Martin and gathers 1000 of the world’s finest artists in more than 350 events over the next three weeks.

The Festival opened with an ambitious new Australian work Lotterywest Festival Opening: Home at Langley Park.

Home was a visually sumptuous theatrical spectacular set against a 60-metre-long cinematic backdrop representing the wide horizon of Western Australia, with stunning animations projected across five massive three-storey houses.

Directed by Nigel Jamieson in collaboration with Noongar elder and artist Dr Richard Walley, this PIAF commissioned opening event featured more than 500 performers on stage – a 60-piece orchestra, 300 members of the Noongar community, hundreds of school children and an impressive line-up of Western Australian artists.

The Drones, The Triffids, The Panics, Pigram Brothers and The Waifs, Ernie Dingo, John Butler Trio, Tim Minchin, Shaun Tan and Tim Winton, as well as hundreds of musicians and artists, were among those on this musical and visual journey from the suburbs to the sea and from backyards to the bush.

On the 40th birthday of an iconic cultural site, The Snake Run Project commemorates Albany’s gnarly downhill skate park with a free opening event of contemporary dance, freestyle skateboarding, street art and live music.

Perth audiences will be treated to a celebration of skateboarding with Art & Motion, that sees highly regarded Australian visual artist Shaun Gladwell and skate world legend, American Russ Howell, join forces with the ambient sounds of DJ Rok Riley to bring the hypnotic sport to life.

For bookings and festival information please call 08 6488 5555, go online to perthfestival.com.au or visit your loval Ticketek outlets.

Perth International Arts Festival
Founded in 1953 by The University of Western Australia, PIAF is the longest running international arts festival in Australia and Western Australia’s premier cultural event.

Media references

WA MEDIA: Rania Ghandour on +61 8 6488 8618 / 0403 025 535
NATIONAL MEDIA: Miranda Brown +61 3 9419 0931 / 0411 568 781

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