At PICA we recognise that we are situated within the unceded lands of the Whadjuk people of the Noongar Nation. We pay our respects and offer our gratitude to Elders past and present, and to those emerging leaders in the community. We acknowledge all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the importance of their care and continued connection to culture, community and Country.

Always was, always will be.

Galleries are open today, 10am–5pm. Our exhibitions are always free.

Seeking basic needs and other tales of excess

Seeking basic needs and other tales of excess
The streets are your stage.
Take a pathway across Northbridge with a set of headphones and an open mind in this opera for one. Listen in as an original soundscape unfolds with stories of migration and patterns of human behaviour. Hear world-wide tales of struggle, joy and hope as the city comes alive in this immersive sonic storytelling experience.
Created by Perth-based Renée Newman, and made in collaboration with sound designer Ben Collins, Seeking basic needs and other tales of excess is a new Western Australian work and a world premiere exploring the form of the audio tour.

Borrowing from Francis Alÿs’s notion that walking is “with the speed culture of our time – a kind of resistance…a very immediate method for unfolding stories”, it strips back what we need – to live and love – by asking you to slow down. See the world as a moving picture, the streets your stage and the people your actors.
A meditation on hope, this mindful solo encounter in public space embraces how we are always moving, shifting, changing.
Presented for FRINGE WORLD Festival 2018
Creative team
Conceived, Written & Directed by Renée Newman
Composition & Sound Design: Ben Collins
Dramaturgs: Steve Bull & Marcella Polain
Cultural Advisor: Ian Wilkes