Gascoyne artists make 14m fire-breathing dragon to tour WA as performance art, in running for $100k grant

Ten artists from the Gascoyne have collaborated to make a 14-metre fire-breathing dragon that will tour WA next year, to pay homage to the rich cultural history of the State. Executive producer Theaker von Ziarno described the experience as an “in-situ, festival theatre performance”, that “brings an old myth to a contemporary place in life and is writing everybody’s story in to that story”. The performance, made by Carnarvon-based production company Creality, is a finalist for the Arts Impact 2023 grant program. The program awards $100,000 to two of six finalists, while the four remaining finalists will receive $10,000. Each finalist will pitch to a panel of donors at Rechabite Hall in Perth on May 3, and the winners will then be decided. The performance involves “dragoneers” operating the hand-sculpted beast, originally made with no budget in 2019 from “old gym equipment, trampolines, pullies and leavers,” said von Ziarno. It is supported by a youth drumming ensemble from Blood Beats Indigenous Hip Hop program which scout, train and empower creatives in the region. The dragon has since undergone a makeover to ensure the longevity of the mechanical and mythical creature. “We want to be able to tour this on a national and international scale for years, so we needed to make sure that it was structurally up to it,” von Ziarno said. She said the performance honoured the complex cultural history of WA, drawing inspiration from Chinese pearlers who migrated at the end of the 19th century. “It’s completely free, we want everybody to be able to experience this, art is something that will bring the community together, so making this accessible to everyone is really important to us,” von Ziarno said. The performance piece will be touring to six destinations as part of the Gascoyne Travelling Arts Festival.