A walk through Boorna Waanginy’s sound and light show is a deeply felt celebration of cultures and a warning for the future.

Despite the threat of the heavens opening, the 2017 Perth International Arts Festival launched in style on Friday night with thousands of people braving the elements to take a stroll through Boorna Waanginy (The Trees Speak), a 1.2km free sound and light show exploring the fragile beauty of the WA ecology. Coming in at around the $1 million mark, the installation was a little hampered by having to drape the 117 speakers in waterproof tarpaulins, but otherwise the 30 tonnes of tech gear functioned entirely as intended.

The ambitious event, held in King’s Park, has been created by director Nigel Jamieson in close collaboration with representatives of the local Noongar people and incorporates input from scientists, ecologists, Perth school kids and an array of community groups. “It’s been a thrilling journey working alongside great artists, Noongar elders, scientists and botanists to put this show together about the wonder of the unique and fragile ecosystems of the South West,” says Jamieson.

“In May 1967, Australians voted overwhelmingly in a...