A thick blanket of cloud, an invisible choir and the historic setting of Perth’s Cathedral Square will transport city-goers into a timeless, enchanted landscape this February and March.
Titled CANON, the free immersive art experience is an opportunity to take a break from the everyday and slip into four minutes of calm and reflection, says Tom Mùller, the Fremantle artist commissioned to create the one-of-a kind experience.
“You feel as if a giant cloud has been dropped on you, with the illusion of everything around you having vanished, bringing these heavenly, enchanting moments that connect you with a sense of self, place and history,” Mùller said.
Skilled at transforming spaces people use every day into timeless, otherworldly landscapes, Swiss-born Mùller was inspired by the stories of Cathedral Square, “the city’s historic heart.” Today an interactive, urban mix of arts, entertainment experiences, retail and dining, the heritage-listed Cathedral Square is a stone’s throw from ‘point zero,’ the geographical marker at which all distances to Perth are measured.
Presented in association with Moore Contemporary, CANON can be experienced every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday for three weeks from Friday, February 18 to Saturday, March 12, 2022. Sessions times begin at 12pm, 1pm, 5pm and 6pm.
“When the cloud descends during CANON you feel disorientated to begin with but then there’s this sense of self in the space, helping connect you to where you are right now,” Mr Mùller said.
Four industrial-grade fog machines create the illusion of cloud, with the heavenly sounds provided by the sublime voices of St George’s Cathedral Choir, which also collaborated with the artist on the new score for CANON.
Starting with a single voice, the sound builds to a crescendo as the audience vanishes into a blanket of cloud. Mr Mùller is well-known for using giant fog machines to connect people to both past and present via art activations. His acclaimed immersive artwork Ghost Line for The “CANON offers momentary respite, sanctuary or refuge,” he said. “The best way to experience CANON is to simply surrender to what is happening and draw your own conclusions about your experience.”
An established multi-disciplinary artist, Mr Mùller has been featured in many major exhibitions and organisations around the world, including the 69e Biennale de la Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland, the Art Gallery of WA, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, and the 2021 Northern Alps Triennale in Japan.
CANON can be experienced at Perth’s Cathedral Square on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from Friday, February 18 to Saturday, March 12, 2022. For more info head to www.cathedralsquare.com.au
