What Washes Up – Pip Lewi | Perth Festival

Spume’ refers to the foam produced by the churning of water, capping the waves or leaving tidelines on a riverbed. Pip Lewi is fascinated by an ’urban spume’ –  the detritus and markings left on the city by a tide of human activity.

what washes up is a collection of 23 drawings by Pip – one for each day of the 2021 Festival – that capture ‘throwaway’ moments observed during walks through the city centre. At the centre of each moment is something discarded, forgotten or out of place, remnants of human activity left behind either deliberately or accidentally. Captured in vivid texta, pen and layers of correction fluid, these moments unfold into riddles, puns and stories of humour and humanity.

Over the course of the Festival Pip’s drawings will ebb and flow, appearing on the Festival’s online platforms, public screens and sidewalks throughout the city. This ephemeral ode to the overlooked culminates in an intimate walking tour and guided meditation, refocusing the eye and mind on the finer details of the things that wash up on the shores of our vision.