EVENT: THE GIANTS in Perth, Western Australia

Shane | 14 February 2015 | Reply

EVENT: THE GIANTS in Perth, Western Australia
Friday, 13 February, 2015
Words & Pictures by Shane Pinnegar
12/10

#giantsperth

The magic (and it IS magic) in these jumbo-sized wooden marionettes is in the subtleties and nuances of their behaviour.

A blink here, a breath and a smile there. A sideways glance or a barely perceptable nod to one of their Lilliputian handlers, the slight movement of an arm or hand.

These gestures afford the Giants – created by the Royal de Luxe theatre company from Nantes, France – a humanity that stands in direct paradox to the reality of the event. The Little Girl Giant hangs from a crane, and is crawled over and around at all times by ten or twenty handlers pulling the ropes and wires that giver her life.

[Show as slideshow]

Even squatting down to pee in the middle of the street – a crass act that would have you or I in court facing a large fine – somehow seems charming and cute (and hilarious) in the hands of the Royal de Luxe company.

It’s this magic which has people five and six deep staring for hours at the sleeping Little Girl Giant. She’s not laid dormant like a discarded marionettes dummy – she breathes the whole while and is enchanting, even when ‘asleep’. Again, it’s the humanity Royal de Luxe breath into these mega-puppets that make them magical.

It’s the same magic which sees an estimated 180,000 follow her through the streets of Perth on Day One of this three-day free event which officially opens the 63rd Perth International Arts Festival, with hundreds of police and other emergency staff on hand, road closures, and hundreds of volunteers on board to ensure the event’s success.

The Giants is a spectacle – a happening – like no other. It’s an experience – and a magical one, at that – which thrills people of all ages, of all races, across all demographics – and will undoubtedly be talked about for years to come.

If you can get there this weekend, don’t miss it.

https://2015.perthfestival.com.au/Whats-on-by-Genre/The-Giants/The-Journey