Unlisted director, Julian Frost, has brought to life the immersive "Boorna Waanginy: The Trees Speak" experience at Perth's EverNow Festival. The live event, held in enchanting Kings Park, was a stunning blend of culture, art, technology and storytelling.
The project employed advanced 3D projection technology, casting Frost's animations onto the majestic trees of the park. This innovative approach transformed the natural landscape into a dynamic canvas, illustrating the six Noongar seasons, and the interconnectedness of all life. Over 300,000 festival attendees flowed through this ‘immersive tunnel of wonder’ which conveyed contemporary and traditional indigenous culture. According to Frost, “The trick was understanding the projection space as a living stage that the artwork converses with, rather than a blank screen. Kind of like the difference between a tattoo on someone’s body and a drawing on a piece of paper.”
Working in collaboration with creative directors, Nigel Jamieson, Zoë Atkinson, and Sohan Ariel Hayes, and guided by the cultural wisdom of Dr. Richard Walley OAM and Barry McGuire, Frost's role was pivotal in creating the intricate designs and animations that illuminated the event. His contribution was both technical and deeply interpretative, weaving together the stories and significance of Western Australia’s South-West region and the Noongar culture. “I really enjoyed collaborating with people whose creative process was centred around live performance and a poetic/intuitive view of narrative. I also felt a sense of responsibility to the people whose stories we were entrusted with, and was honoured to hear that they found the final work moving”, says Frost.
As Unlisted founder, Katie Mackin, noted, “Julian’s animations were more than visual spectacle; they were narratives that spoke of regrowth, new life, and the urgent need to protect our shared land. The EverNow Festival set a new benchmark in the fusion of art, culture, and technology, while offering an unforgettable experience to those lucky enough to have experienced it.”
