The Giants in Perth

The 6 metre girl wears a 30kg dress and 6.5kg of hair

We heard there were giants in Perth, so planned to attend day two of the Perth International Arts Festival and follow the Giant’s epic journey in Perth. Now these weren’t the New York Giants, the Greater Western Sydney Giants, or were they from the Valley of the Giants. No, these giants were all the way from France.  Royal de Luxe from Aix en Provence in fact, bought two enormous Marionettes to the City of Perth for a spectacular three day event, The Giants in Perth.

Giants in Perth

Controlling the Lilliputians who pull the strings and bring the giants to life

Giants in Peth

Lilliputians use a combination of elbow grease, ropes and pulleys

Unable to attend the first day on Friday 13th, we planned to spend Saturday 14th following the Giants. The city was already going to be busy with The Perth Fringe Festival, the Perth Travel Expo, Roxette concert and the Perth Wildcats game all scheduled, and of course, it was also Valentine’s Day. Expectations were that a million people would be flocking to the city to watch two monster sized mechanical puppets.

Lilliputians gut-busting efforts went into powering each rise and fall of the massive legs of the Diver

red-coated Lilliputians

Magic moments thanks to the exertions of teams of red-coated Lilliputians

Lilliputians in action

Clever choreography, meticulous planning and hard work make the figures move

The story unfolds with the first Giant, a six metre little girl arrived in Perth on Friday 13th in search of her uncle, the diver. Made of timber, metal and rope, she is controlled by a team of 25 puppeteers pulling strings to make her move. She spent the day walking the streets, searching, before making her way down to Langley Park where she slept the night in her plus sized bed. On Saturday, after she awoke, she showered, and continued with her search once more.

Train patrons arriving in the city on Saturday morning were surprised when faced with a huge sleeping diver near the city station. It was amazing to see the crowds gather, and I mean huge crowds watching as the 11 metre driver awoke late morning and began walking through the city streets. He was massive, really impressive, and at his size he is certainly not a puppet, but a monster size marionette.

He is controlled by 44 Lilliputians who are an attraction in themselves using cranes and pulleys, as they leapt into the air hanging onto the ropes controlling the giant Diver.  It is a mix of hydraulics, motorisation and human kinetic energy to make him move. 20 Lilliputians scamper up to swing from the ropes whilst a trio out front control his eyes, mouth and torso remotely. Watching was impressive, but making the gargantuan would have been an epic task.

He weighs 3 tonne, his shoe size is 237 with each massive boot weighing 214kg. The trousers he wears are 100kg and took 120m of fabric.  He made his way walking through the city, but as he was unable to fit under a footbridge, the diver was lifted over by a crane, to the music of Mission Impossible.

It was amazing to watch, but there was still plenty to see in the city today.

Northbridge Piazza

Western Australian Museum

From near the railway station we made our way over the horseshoe bridge and into Northbridge Piazza. There were many pop up food stalls and a bar. We stop for some lunch and a refreshing beverage. For a relatively small city, Perth is great at utilising the space. A short stroll and we find ourselves in the midst of the biggest arts installation in Perth, State Library of WA, Art Gallery of WA and WA Museum. This space both absorbs and reflects the creativity surrounding it, this is an artistic dream. Immediately opposite the Art Gallery of WA is the Urban Orchard which is a paved area. Now it’s planted out with seasonal plants and a variety of fruit, vegetables, and herbs on display.

Hardey, Flying Heart Productions

Hardey combines comedy, improvised mime, and juggling

There are usually buskers or street performers around to provide entertainment, and today was no exception.

We came across an act just setting up, Hardey from Flying Heart Productions. His act is a comedy, improvised mime, where he combines juggling and audience interaction. The crowds soon grew and along with them we stopped and enjoyed the show.

Hardey from Flying Heart Productions

Hardey from Flying Heart Productions

After the show and some lunch we finally caught up with the little girl giant. It was breathtaking to finally see her in person. She was sleeping in a park but still the crowds were in awe watching as she slept, breathing courtesy of air hoses and bellows in her chest. She is 6 metres tall and wearing a green dress which weighs 30kg. Her hair, made from 70 horses tails weighs 6.5kg.

Little girl Giant

Air hoses and bellows raise and lower her chest as she breathes

Giant barefeet

Big feet, big crowd

As she would be asleep for some time we decide to head down to the Convention and Exhibition Centre to the Travel Expo.  Escaping the crowds outside, we have a look around, gather some brochures and information for our end of year trip to Europe and in particular, Paris.

After gathering some resources for our trip we head back into the city and the crowd was growing even larger, there must be hundreds of thousands of people gathering now. We watched in awe as they manoeuvred a large boat into position which was going to be used to take the little girl back down to Langley Park.  The crowds continued to grow and slowly we saw the little girl come into view as she walked towards the boat. She was licking a lollypop and had her shoes and socks taken off before being lifted up and into the boat. She was assisted on with her yellow raincoat and hat to keep her dry from the water spray and the boat slowly takes her away.

It was a once in a lifetime experience to see the diver and the little girl who is not so little at all. They are massive and very impressive. After seeing them in person, their expressions and movement you realise the logistics of bringing such an event as this to Perth was as enormous as the giants themselves. First the cost, bought here by Perth International Arts Festival, it was quoted the event cost $5.4 million.

Giants in Perth

This little girl stole a city’s heart

Crowds followed her footsteps through the streets of Perth

The little girl wore a yellow raincoat and hat to keep her dry from the spray

The massive marionettes require a team of 70 people to move the machinery that suspends them and more than 300 volunteers to help them navigate the streets of Perth. Three median strips in the city and several traffic poles had to be removed, parking areas closed, public transport ceased and streets closed off to all transport in rolling closures.

Traffic poles were removed and streets closed off to host the event

A giant-sized mechanical puppet in a boat travelling the streets of Perth

When the giants left Perth they boarded a barge and made their exit from the city along with a flotilla of vessels escorting them.

Only once before has Perth seen a convoy of this size and that was in 1983 when Australia II headed by Alan Bond bought home the Auld Mug for the first time in 132 years when he won the America’s Cup. In all my years in Perth I have never seen the city so vibrant, full of life and engaged and even Premier Colin Barnett said he believed this once in a lifetime event has released Perth from its Dullsville tag.

I guess there will likely be the knockers, but my opinion is this was a huge success, seen by the raw numbers who attended. Easily the best attended event in Perth ever, even with the other events on in Perth. This was a most spectacular event enjoyed by all ages from children, parents, grandparents and everyone in between. Confirmation of how real the giants expressions and movements were was when the little girl giant looked our way and a child nearby excitedly said “mummy, the little girl looked at me!”.

It was reported 1.4 million people, more than half of the population of the whole state of Western Australia visited this 3 day event. Travelling the globe transforming towns and villages into huge theatrical spaces from Nantes, Morocco, Cameroon, China, New Zealand and Mexico, this was the first time the Giants made it to Australia, and we even beat USA to host them.

We made our way back to the train station where the crowd were still arriving to see more of the giants, but we had other plans to finish our Valentine’s night.

Easily the best attended event in Perth ever

Finally back to the suburb where we live, we collect our picnic chairs and blankets and travel to our local park. Tonight in a special event for Valentine’s Day we join our local community to watch the sinfully delicious free movie in the park, Chocolat which coincidently was released on Valentine’s Day back in 2001. Starring Johnny Depp, and set in a remote village in France in 1959, this is the story of a single, nomadic mother who moves to the conservative village Lansquenet-sous-Tannes to open a chocolaterie. Then a handsome Irish Gypsy (Depp) arrives in town and together they show the town how to love, laugh and truly live.

Prior to the show commencing there was a can-can performance by some local dancers and for a further touch of French flair, some food stalls selling crepes, waffles, macarons and hot chocolate.

What a way to end Valentine’s Day, watching Chocolat under stars

Crepes anyone?

What a lovely way to finish a fantastic Valentine’s day with my love.

A perfect Valentine’s Day

Three very special events, each tantalising my passion for all things French, but best of all was that all three events were free.

Our Valentine’s Day may have been shared with some 400,000 people, but it was the most amazing Valentine’s Day of my life (so far).

Latest figures today revealed the Giants in Perth was attended by over 1.73 million people and tourism bosses say Perth should be pushing for more public arts events which bought a giant economic boost to Perth.

Huge tourism event in Perth

The highlight of Perth International Arts Festival spanned three unforgettable days, commemorated the centenary of Anzac, engaged over 500 artists, engineers, and volunteers, attracting 1.4 million people, and stole the hearts of an entire city.

Did you see the Giants in Perth? Have they been to a city near you?

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29 Responses

  1. Loved this! And it reminds me about the time when I’ve seen them many years ago while they where touring in South America. I can tell you it was a massive performance, they closed the main street in Santiago, Chile and EVERYBODY was talking about it! They were vendors on streets selling T-Shirts, headbands and posters with the Giant Puppet! Was hilarious!
    Gloria @NomadicChica recently posted…CHILE | The Road of Stars and Astronomical TourismMy Profile

    • Lyn says:

      Gloria that sounds like it would have been fun. It was huge here in Perth, I think our biggest single ever without all the vendors commercialism. Thanks for your comment.

  2. Bryna says:

    Those giants look so fascinating! I’m sure I would have stood in awe in front of them just staring. It always blows my mind how crafty and creative some people are!
    Bryna recently posted…Travel Quote of the MonthMy Profile

    • Lyn says:

      Bryna, thank you so much for stopping by and commenting. The people who created these giants have not only created some incredible characters, but need to be thanked for putting Perth on the map.

  3. Hi Lynn, this is amazing! I can’t believe how giants these giants area! I’ve seen figures they call giants in Spain but these ones in Perth would dwarf them. I’m fascinated with the machination of the giants. What a huge production and the creativity is impressive. Gulliver and the Lilliputiians certainly came to mind. Thanks for sharing your awesome festival. I hope to get there sometime soon.
    Marisol@TravelingSolemates recently posted…Antarctica: Icescapes, Killer Whales & Night HikingMy Profile

    • Lyn says:

      Marisol, I had seen photos of these giants in Liverpool but could not imagine how huge they were until I saw them in person, absolutely fascinating.

  4. Fairlie says:

    My FB newsfeed filled up with photos of the Giants as all my friends and family in Perth went to see this incredible event! It was fascinating to see everyone’s different perspectives on it.
    Fairlie recently posted…What is a White Night?My Profile

    • Lyn says:

      Fairlie, they were totally fascinating to see and there were also a lot of differing opinions on the cost of this three day event. Personally, I think it was a great way to boost Perth’s tourism and showcase us to the world.

  5. bettyl - NZ says:

    What interesting shots! I can’t imagine being among that many people!
    bettyl – NZ recently posted…St James Union Church, ThamesMy Profile

    • Lyn says:

      Thank you Bettyl, if you had told me how many people would have been there I would not have been so keen. Perth has never seen such a crowd before.

  6. I had heard of these amazing giants in France, how fantastic that you saw them in Perth
    Suze the Luxury Columnist recently posted…London Fashion Week AW15 – Day 1 HighlightsMy Profile

    • Lyn says:

      With the size of them it must have been logistical nightmare planning their journey, not just through our streets but also to get them here. For big guys they sure get around. Thanks for commenting Suze.

  7. Esther says:

    Beautiful pictures, looks like an amazing experience!!

    • Lyn says:

      Thanks Esther, a once in a lifetime experience for sure.

  8. Anda says:

    Beautiful way to spend Valentine’s Day. I didn’t realize you have Valentine’s Day in Australia too. Europe doesn’t have this holiday. I imagine those big puppets must have looked really impressive.
    Anda recently posted…The Weekly Postcard: Canyon de Chelly National MonumentMy Profile

    • Lyn says:

      Yes Anda, Steve always spoils me for Valentine’s, though it’s not a holiday here. The Giants were very popular here as they were previously in Liverpool and Limerick, simply amazing! As always, thanks for your comments.

  9. How amazing! I can only imagine how wonderful the whole performance would have been in person.
    Erin | No Ordinary Nomad recently posted…Everest Base Camp Trek Day 9 – Should you attempt Kala Patthar?My Profile

    • Lyn says:

      Having seen the giants I wish I could have been able to follow them for the whole 3 day event. Thanks for stopping by and commenting Erin.

  10. ladyfi says:

    Wow – what an amazing sight!

    • Lyn says:

      Fiona thanks for commenting, it was such an amazing experience to see.

  11. Fascinating event. Was it creepy? For some reason I think as much as I’d be intrigued to see this, I might be a bit uncomfortable with these large ‘dolls’ staring at me.

    • Lyn says:

      Thanks for your comment Inta, I was fascinated and didn’t think of them as creepy at all. The fact they were large was a bonus making visibility so much easier.

  12. Adelina says:

    I saw photos of her popping up all around the internet in recent days but I find them just so creepy! I don’t know how I would feel in person right next to her.
    Adelina recently posted…Maximize Your Good Fortune With These Chinese New Year TraditionsMy Profile

    • Lyn says:

      No I didn’t find them creepy at all, but I did hear a little boy say he thought she was creepy. Most were in awe of their sheer size and animated personality.Thank you for commenting Adelina.

  13. Wow, this is a one of a kind experience. I’ve never seen anything like this. Thanks for sharing 🙂
    We Travel Together recently posted…First trip goes to…My Profile

    • Lyn says:

      Thank you so much for stopping by, reading and commenting. These giants certainly will be remembered for a long time, they were hugely popular.

  14. Donna Meyer says:

    Fascinating post. The “Little Girl” is beautiful.
    Donna Meyer recently posted…POTW: Amsterdam’s Magere Brug, the Skinny BridgeMy Profile

    • Lyn says:

      Oh Donna, she truly was. People were falling in love with her with the exception of one little boy who I heard tell his brother she was creepy! Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

  1. […] the love of my life. Attending another free event, we joined some 400,000 people along with the Giants. Not the New York Giants or the Greater Western Sydney Giants, these giants were all the way from […]

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