By Name And Nature
Tura New Music presents The 12th Totally Huge New Music Festival, a massive 10-day event packed with concerts, installations, workshops, screenings and featuring a one day symposium.
The definition of new music is sound created by composers living and practicing today, from any genre or form, that explore new ways to act out creativity in their chosen field. The aim of The 12th Totally Huge New Music Festival is to bring to Perth the most exciting and innovative new music from around WA, Australia and the world.
There’s something for everyone on this year’s program. For lovers of classical instruments there’s Dark Twin by Zubin Kanga (8pm, Friday, May 22, Art Gallery of Western Australia), a solo pianist who plays with the concept of a piano recital by using computer interaction and multimedia, as well as piano pieces by multiple composers, to explore the idea of multiple identities and doppelgangers.
Or there’s Friedrich Gauwerky’s Amour (5pm, Sunday 17 May, Callaway Auditorium, a German-born cellist who celebrates the cultural ties between Australia and Germany, as well as his own personal connection with the two countries, by performing five pieces written by both German and Australian composers.
For lovers of local music, head to Jimmy’s Den in Northbridge for Club Huge (Thursday-Friday, May 21-22), two nights of diverse and boundary breaking sounds, both electronic and acoustic, seasoned musicians and those just starting out.
Exploring the history of WA’s new music is the exhibition A Backwards Glance at the State Library (Library Hours, Friday 15 May – Sunday 24 May, Theatre Foyer). The exhibition will include scores, posters, a listening station featuring some of WA’s finest new music pieces, and a collection of ruined pianos.
Bringing new music to the everyday is the mobile installation Sonic BollART (All day, Friday, May 15, to Sunday, May 24, Perth Cultural Centre and Club Huge). The bollard is a common urban barrier, and an underused space for art. This exhibition aims to reclaim this urban infrastructure by turning bollards into vessels for music, by placing in them a theremin, and a wi-fi music dead-drop that features music from artists of the festival.
Fans of film and documentary will enjoy the free premiere screening of Invitation To Ruin (7pm, Thursday 21 May, State Library Theatre). The documentary was created by filmmaker Robert Castiglione as he travelled for 10 years with renowned ruined piano artist Ross Bolleter in his search across Australia for the broken instruments.
A major item in the program is The 12th Totally Huge New Music FestivalSymposium, an all-day event (9am – 5pm, Thursday 21 May, State Library Theatrette featuring speakers on the theme of Western Australian Art Music Activity: 1970 – 2014 to celebrate the launch of the WA New Music Archive, a digital archive of WA art music from 1970 to the present day. Keynote speakers include ABC Classic FM’s Stephen Adams and the WANMA Project Leader, Associate Professor Cat Hope.
One returning event is Breaking Out (8pm, Wednesday 20 May, PICA Performance Space), the annual night of the festival that gives graduating music students from WAAPA and the School of Music at UWA, as well as young people creating music outside institutions, the chance to perform at PICA’s performance space.
For more information on the program and purchasing tickets, go to thnmf2015.tura.com.au. The 12th Totally Huge New Music Festival runs from Friday, May 15, until Sunday, May 24.
Zubin Kanga, 12th Totally Huge New Music Festival
