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.

We are open 10am–5pm. Our exhibitions are always free.

AWESOME Festival and Steve Aiton

AWESOME Creative Hub: Stop Motion Pet Shop  

AWESOME Creative Hub: Stop Motion Pet Shop  

Embark on a creative adventure with furry, feathered and scaly friends! 

Get creative with the kids and unleash their imagination at the 2024 AWESOME Festival. Join artist Steven Aiton in the AWESOME Creative Hub at PICA and enter the magical world of stop-motion animation. Kids can create their own pet shop characters and animate them, bringing them to life. 

Be inspired by Esther Forest’s stop-motion film the pet shop, now showing as part of PICA’s Hatched: National Graduate Show 2024. In this short film, see how shop assistant Louise manages virtual pets and customers, alongside real ones. Pets in the digital world can’t sit on your lap or eat your homework but can they fulfill our need for care and connection?

About the Artists

Steven Aiton is a Western Australian animation artist with a focus on combining the arts with health. Starting his career as a project artist with AWESOME Arts, Steven works as a creative therapist at Touchstone CAMHS and has been an artist-in-residence at Perth Children’s Hospital and the Western Desert Kidney Health Project.  Often collaborating with and mentoring other creatives, his animation work has featured in art galleries, original theatre productions, on television and in film festivals around the world.

Esther Forest specialises in stop-motion animation created by building dioramas and characters from cardboard, paper and other found materials. The pet shop is presented in PICA’s Hatched: National Graduate Show 2024 a graduate exhibition of artists recently graduated from art schools across Australia. Esther has also designed a self-guided art activity for people of all ages available in the PICA Hub.

Supporters

Presented by the 2024 AWESOME Festival  

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