Things are about to warm up in Perth – our wintery cityscape is set to transform into an extraordinary arts wonderland for the second annual Strange Festival.
Eccentric installations, exhibitions, and performances will take over laneways, malls, and shopping precincts to showcase the strange and enchanting aspects of our city from Friday 16 to Sunday 25 June.
The 2023, free-to-see art trail will consume more than 20 city spaces, and put over 30 visual artists in the spotlight come June, with Forrest Place once again dubbed as the heart of the festival.
The central hub is bound to turn up the vibes with Cor Novis – Heartland, a massive pulsing, polygonal sculpture, poised to pique the interests of passers-by, before hosting a dramatic performance to farewell the festival.
Strange Festival aims to celebrate the misfits and the misunderstood, and invites you to explore London Court, various Hay Street Mall spaces, Raine Square, ‘Liberty’ Basement, and Pooles Temple at the State Buildings, with more spaces to be announced.
The Strange program spans visual art and sculpture to projection and video; aural art via soundscapes, experiential works that’ll twist your brain, performance pieces that explore the boundaries of what it means to be human (or not).
Two new initiatives will launch this year’s Strange Festival too – the Yagan Square video installation and Exhumed Cinema – showing the premiere an animated short film based on Kelton Pell’s Bindjareb Pinjarra, and 35mm & 16mm film screenings, respectively.
Strange co-founder and Creative Director, Jess Oakley, says, “Strange invites our artists to dial it up, encouraging them to express themselves in a safe space without limitations or guidelines.
“The inclusive approach is a refreshing experience, producing distinctive, original works that invite us all to be part of something bigger than ourselves.”
While Strange Festival Director, Glenn Watson, shares, “Our mission is to unveil the strange and unusual to a broader audience, casting a brilliant beam of light on the forgotten and hidden corners of our city that are often missed with the hustle of daily life.”
The inaugural Strange Festival in 2022 attracted an estimated 45,000 visitors – so if that’s anything to go by, this year we’re in for a blast come Friday 16 to Sunday 25 June.
All images supplied.