Perth Festival Opens: River's Trail Ignites Culture

Perth Festival has launched its latest program, centered around the significant Derbarl Yerrigan (Swan River). The opening features Karla Bidi, a light and sound installation inspired by ancient campfire traditions along the riverbanks.

This year's festival, now in its seventh decade, revisits the river's role in stories and community connection. Eleven installations stretch across various locations, illuminating the river's path and serving as gathering points.

Artist Joe Bloom's project "A View from the Bridge" invites strangers to connect via red telephones placed on city bridges. These conversations, captured on film, offer intimate glimpses into personal histories and experiences.

Participants share stories ranging from profound grief and loss, like Yvonne Armarego's organ donation of her late son Theo, to the transformative power of fatherhood, as expressed by Jarred Casey. These shared narratives form a fragmented, yet deeply resonant, portrait of Perth's diverse community.

The festival intentionally highlights the river's enduring spirituality and its alteration by colonization, incorporating messages of belonging and speaking for oneself, particularly from Noongar cultural leader Dr. Richard Walley.