PICA GUIDE
August – December 2017
Performance Program
Contents 1–2
Creative Development
August – December Performance Program 9–10
PRVCY kdmindustries 7 – 19 August 3–4
Electronic Concerto Decibel Ensemble 24 October
5–6
Aeon Lz Dunn & Collaborators 26 – 29 October
7–8
Quarry Music Ross Bolleter & Anthony Cormican 26 October
Creative Development Seeking Basic Needs and Other Tales of Excess Reneé Newman
11–12
Program Callout Next Wave x PICA 2018-2019 Callout
13–14
Spark_Lab PICA’s Schools Learning Program
15–16
Support PICA
17–18
Accessibility
19
PICA Thanks
PICA also runs a dynamic exhibitions program. For more information please visit our website www.pica.org.au.
Connect with us Stay in touch with PICA for regular updates on exhibitions, performances, public programs and events. Sign up to our mailing list online at: www.pica.org.au
/PICAARTS @PICA_Perth @PICA_Perth WW
pica.org.au
Creative Development + Pilot Showings ––––––––––
PRVCY kdmindustries 7 – 19 August NOTHING IS PRIVATE PRVCY is a major new Australian collaboration with kdmindustries and a team of WA’s leading independent artists. Over two weeks they will undergo a second stage development culminating in two pilot showings of this new work. From Edward Snowden and Wikileaks, to Facebook livestreaming murders, to Solange attacking Jay Z in an elevator, the personal is now public. Combining movement, manipulated text, live music, hacked webcams and footage streamed live from a drone within the space, PRVCY is a sobering glimpse into contemporary society and the evolution of the information age, tracing the impact of technology and surveillance upon this universal human right. A PICA COMMISSION
Creative Development: 7 – 17 Aug
Perth Science Festival: Free open studio with the artists Sat 12 Aug, 3pm – 4pm
Pilot Showings: 18 – 19 Aug, 7:30pm
PICA Performance Space Duration: 60 minutes
Bookings: pica.org.au | (08) 9228 6300 PICA reception
Tickets:
Creative Team
Standard: $25
Right: PRVCY first stage development, 2016. Photo: Fionn Mulholland
1–2
Concept/Design Co-Creators/ Performers Sound Design Dramaturg Produced by
Mark Haslam Sara Black, Laura Boynes, Mark Haslam, Ella Hetherington and Tristen Parr Tristen Parr Will O’Mahony kdmindustries
Creative Team Director Percussion Electronics/Keyboards Cello Reeds Violin/Viola, iOS Programming
Cat Hope Louise Devenish Stuart James Tristen Parr Lindsay Vickery Aaron Wyatt
Electronic Concerto Decibel Ensemble –––––––––– 24 October, 7.30pm The ‘concerto’ is one of the most familiar of classical music forms – a virtuosic solo performer in front of the orchestra. Decibel present a series of newly commissioned works composed for ensemble and electronic soloist, reworking the concept to put the spotlight on electronic instruments, with the ensemble taking on the role of the orchestra. The works feature soloists performing on instruments such as a digital Trautonium, laptop, Theremin, mobile phones, tactile electronics, bass guitar, electric harp and a pile of speakers. Featuring world premieres by composers Catherine Ashley (WA), Pedro Alvarez (WA), Cat Hope (VIC), Stuart James (WA), Jos Mulder (WA), Mark Olivero (NSW), Dan Thorpe (SA), Christopher Tonkin (WA) and Meg Travers (WA).
“Adventurous, inquisitive, challenging. Decibel honour and sabotage modernist traditions.” - Cool Perth Nights Presented with Tura New Music as part of the 13th Totally Huge New Music Festival
PICA Performance Space Duration: 90 minutes (with interval)
Creative Team Director Percussion Electronics/Keyboards Cello Reeds Violin/Viola, iOS Programming
Cat Hope Louise Devenish Stuart James Tristen Parr Lindsay Vickery Aaron Wyatt
Tickets: Standard: $32 Members: $26 Concession & Groups (6+): $22
Photo: Lisa Businovski
Bookings: pica.org.au | (08) 9228 6300 PICA reception
3–4
Aeon Lz Dunn & Collaborators –––––––––– 26 – 29 October | 5.30pm plus 6am on 29 October A SONIC WALK. A QUEER NATURE.
Using computer modelling, scientists have identified three simple rules that enable the synchronised movement of bird flocks: separation, alignment and cohesion. Informed by flocking studies and queer ecology, Aeon is activated by silence, sound, civic responsibility and personal desire. A playful push through public space and private discomfort, this participatory experiment in group behaviour questions what it means to be natural. Co-created by a team of multidisciplinary artists, Aeon lands a portable speaker in your palm and invites you to walk between soaring clouds of wings and piles of pigeon poo, towards a paradoxical and uncertain horizon. “A special moment, something that feels revelatory, expansive and mystic.” * Presented with Tura New Music as part of the 13th Totally Huge New Music Festival Duration: 75 minutes Aeon is performed at twilight 26 – 28 October, 5.30pm 29 October, 6am & 5.30pm
Aeon is an outdoor work. The location will be revealed at the time of booking.
Tickets: Preview: $20 Standard: $32 Members: $26 Concession & Groups (6+): $22 Schools: $15 (groups 10+) Bookings: pica.org.au | (08) 9228 6300 PICA reception 5–6
Photo: Aeon by Lz Dunn and Collaborators. Photo: Bryony Jackson *jezrsh.com
Creative Team Concept & Artistic Lead Sound Choreography Dramaturgy Production Manager Produced by
Lz Dunn Lawrence English Shian Law Lara Thoms Liz Young Performing Lines
Aeon involves a significant amount of walking, potential nudity and an intense sound experience. Aeon is recommended for 15 years and over. It is unsuitable for babies and small children. Please contact the venue to discuss accessibility requirements prior to booking.
Quarry Music Ross Bolleter & Anthony Cormican –––––––––– 26 October, 7.30pm | Free Artist Talk 1:30pm A celebration of ruined piano to evoke a vanished realm. After 1945, West Subiaco was the site of a vast quarry where US forces discarded their jeeps and armoured cars at the end of WWII. In time, the quarry became a rubbish dump. Quarry Music evokes a past buried beneath manicured school ovals and raises community awareness concerning the forgotten scavengers, deadly detritus, and kids at risk. In this 5.1 surround sound and live ruined piano performance, the artist will re-create the old dump and its military decay, all now buried, using ruined pianos to convey the spirit of the dump. This will be renowned Perth composer/performer Ross Bolleter’s final public performance.
Presented with Tura New Music as part of the 13th Totally Huge New Music Festival
PICA Performance Space Duration: 70 minutes Tickets: Standard: $32 Members: $26 Concession & Groups (6+): $22
Photo: Vivienne Robertson
Bookings: pica.org.au | (08) 9228 6300 PICA reception
7–8
Creative Development ––––––––––
Seeking basic needs and other tales of excess Reneé Newman in collaboration with Ben Collins –––––––––– November 2017
Seeking basic needs and other tales of excess is a new work in development exploring the form of the audio tour. Borrowing from Francis Alÿs’s notion that “walking, in particular drifting, or strolling, is already – with the speed culture of our time – a kind of resistance…a very immediate method for unfolding stories”, the work invites participants to take a pathway across Northbridge with a headphone/audio device. The soundscape is an amalgam of stories of migration, patterns of human behaviour, notions of need and the simple act of walking as a moment of transgression. Uneasy with our contemporary habit of conflating ‘need’ and ‘want’, the work captures the stark simplicity of the everyday and asks how the notion of hope might be reappropriated and reanimated.
9–10
Program Callout ––––––––––
NEXT WAVE x PICA CO-COMMISSION PICA and Next Wave invite expressions of interest from Western Australia’s emerging artists and collectives working across live art, dance, theatre and interdisciplinary practice to develop a new contemporary performance work to be presented in Melbourne at Next Wave Festival in 2018 and in Perth at PICA’s RECKLESS ACTS in 2019. The commissioned artist/collective will receive support from both PICA and Next Wave, across 4 stages: o Support for 2 stages of creative developments to be undertaken at PICA in 2017 and 2018 o Support for premiere presentation in Next Wave Festival 2018 o Support for presentation in RECKLESS ACTS 2019 EOIs will be accepted until 11:59pm, 7 August. Applicants will be notified of the final outcome in late August 2017. For more information visit pica.org.au/apply
2018 & 2019 PERFORMANCE PROGRAM PICA is calling for proposals from artists for its 2018 and 2019 performance program, including its festival of experimental art, RECKLESS ACTS, PICA’s new development and commissioning programs, as well as a new artist mentor program. For more information, submission guidelines and closing dates visit pica.org.au 11–12 Image: Ecosexual Bathhouse for Liveworks Festival. Photo: Heidrun Lohr.
Spark_Lab Learning Program –––––––––– About Spark_Lab Spark_Lab brings students, teachers and the community up close and personal with contemporary artists, dancers, theatre makers, musicians and other innovators across a wide range of disciplines through an exciting program of events, activities and online resources. PICA is committed to presenting a program of art and ideas that engages, excites and educates through its specially tailored Spark_Lab program that features guided exhibition tours, school bookings for performances, artist-led workshops and online resources. Spark_Lab provides carefully designed, accessible and rewarding programs which complement PICA’s artistic programs and provide expanded approaches to school curricula.
With a dedicated Education Studio located in PICA’s historic building in the Perth Cultural Centre, Spark_Lab introduces new ways for primary, secondary and tertiary students and teachers to think creatively and develop innovation and leadership skills through multi-disciplinary activities that encourage risk-taking, problem solving and collaboration. PICA can offer specially tailored tours, school shows, artist talks and workshops for primary, secondary and tertiary visual arts, dance, theatre and music students as well as those in the curriculum areas listed above.
Bookings are essential for all education programs. School Bookings (groups 10+) for performances will receive discounted tickets of $15 each. Please contact PICA’s reception: info@pica.org.au, or call (08) 9228 6300. For more details see pica.org.au/learn, email info@pica.org.au, or call (08) 9228 6300.
13–14
Photo: Jacqueline Warrick
Support ––––––––––
Donate now We invite you to explore contemporary art and performance with PICA in radical new ways. Join us at bespoke after hours events where you will meet artists, performers and like-minded arts lovers.
Donor Programs include: ART1000 $1,200 Art Ambassador $2,500 Director’s Circle $5,500 Commissioner $10,000
Donate to PICA and make a significant difference to our cultural landscape.
Art Pledge
PICA Edition
Minimise the impact on your budget and maximise the impact on contemporary art and performance by making a monthly or fortnightly pledge to one of PICA’s exciting new donor programs.
PICA is proud to launch the second PICA Edition. Iftar is a specially commissioned artwork by renowned WA artist AbdulRahman Abdullah. It is a sculptural work that explores how a handful of almonds can carry a weight of cultural significance, and has been released in a limited edition of 30.
Every dollar makes a difference - all donations over $5 are tax deductible.
For more information about how to become a PICA donor and purchase the PICA Edition please contact Development Manager Jo Malone at philanthropy@pica.org.au or (08) 9228 6300. Donate online at pica.org.au/support
15–16
Abdul-Rahman Abdullah, Iftar, 2017. Photo: Alessandro Bianchetti
Accessibility –––––––––– Wheelchair Access All gallery and performance spaces are wheelchair accessible. Wheelchair bookings can be made for all PICA performances. Please book over the phone or in person at PICA so that Front of House can make note of your requirements. Wheelchair accessible toilets are available. ACROD Parking General & ACROD car parking is available within the Perth Cultural Centre precinct. The closest ACROD accessible car parks with lift access to the Cultural Centre are the Cultural Centre and State Library car parks. Companion Card The Companion Card admits carers to shows as complimentary guests. Holders of this card are welcome to attend any performance presented by PICA. All companion card bookings must be made over the phone or in person at PICA.
17–18
Photo: Toni Wilkinson
Getting Here
PICA Thanks Government Partners
PICA is easily accessed via public transport and by car.
Principal Education Partner
Supporting Partners
Automotive Partner
Major Exhibition Partner
Beverage Partners
There is a pedestrian overpass from the Perth train station and PICA is a two minute walk away. Transperth’s free Blue CAT buses also provide the closest pick-up and drop-off points for PICA located on Beaufort St. General & ACROD car parking is available within the Perth Cultural Centre precinct. For more information visit the PICA website or Transperth website.
Presenting Partners
–––––––––– Free Entry Gallery & Box Office Tuesday – Sunday 10am – 5pm Phone Bookings Monday – Sunday 10am – 5pm
PICA thanks its members and donors for their ongoing support. PRVCY is commissioned by PICA and supported by Playwriting Australia. Aeon is presented with Tura New Music as part of the 13th Totally Huge New Music Festival. Aeon is produced by Performing Lines and commissioned by Mobile States. It has been supported by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advocacy body; the City of Melbourne through Arts House; and Vitalstatistix’ Adhocracy program. Electronic Concerto and Quarry Music are presented with Tura New Music as part of The 13th Totally Huge New Music Festival, which is supported by the City of Perth. Commissions by Cat Hope (VIC), Mark Olivero (NSW), Dan Thorpe (SA) and Meg Travers (WA) have been made possible by the APRA AMC Commissioning Project. Commission by Catherine Ashley (WA) made possible by the Australia Cultural Fund project, The Difficult Commission.
Box Office opens one hour before performances Perth Cultural Centre, 51 James St, Northbridge (08) 9228 6300 info@pica.org.au pica.org.au
Front cover photo: Aeon by Lz Dunn and Collaborators. Photo: Bryony Jackson Indside Cover: Top right: Decibel Ensemble. Photo: Lisa Businovski Bottom right: PRVCY first stage development, 2016. Photo: Fionn Mulholland
About PICA PICA is both a producing and presenting institution that delivers an annual program of curated exhibitions, seasons of contemporary performance, studio residencies and creative developments. Its groundbreaking schools learning program Spark_Lab focuses on fostering innovation skills in young people through engagement with contemporary art and performance. PICA’s mission is to create career-defining moments for artists, life changing experiences for audiences of all ages and critical turning points in the advancement of art forms.
Join our Membership Program! Become an Art Addict today, and in addition to supporting Perth’s premier contemporary arts space, you’ll also get access to member-priced tickets and exclusive benefits from our partners. Annual memberships start at $30 (concession) and $40 (standard). pica.org.au/join/art-addicts