Perth Voice Interactive

THE Perth International Arts Festival kicks off this weekend, and priding itself on making the arts accessible to all, there’s a swag of free shows and exhibitions.

“From our grand opening event [Home], which turns the spotlight on all that is great about West Australia…to an opportunity to literally walk in someone else’s shoes to all the fun of the Perth Writers Festival family day, there is so much to see and do for free,” PIAF artistic director Wendy Martin says.

Home will see homegrown, international talents such as Tim Minchin, Shaun Tan, Tim Winton and John Butler and a host of others transform Langley Park into a theatrical extravaganza tonight (Saturday February 13) at 7.45pm.

Swedish artist Nathalie Djurberg and Hans Berg open up a netherworld of strange delights and encounters in a garden fit for Alice in Wonderland, filled with giant leaves, bizarre and colourful flowers–presided over by a shaman rabbit.

It’s on at PICA, in the Perth Cultural Centre.

A giant shoebox in Stirling Gardens invites visitors to walk a mile in the shoes of a stranger, with collection of footwear from a diverse cross section of WA folk, from a refugee, a sex worker to a FIFO: “Walk a mile listening to the personal story of the owner’s life,” the program says.

The Perth Writers Festival (at UWA) is a smorgasbord of literary talent with a host of free talks and the chance to meet some of your favourite authors.

Internationally acclaimed Indian artist Bharti Kher offers a window into her richly textured work with her distinctive signature applications of saris, bindis and sculptures in Bharti Kher In Her own Language, also at UWA.

There’s more free, and low-cost, events lurking in the pages of the festival program, so grab (or download) a copy and check it out for yourself. PIAF runs until March 6.