Whalefall
Artists Ben Frost and Tom Mùller collaborate on Whalefall, a new temporary work conceived in response to the landmark Port Beach Shed — a skeletal, stand-alone structure that stands sentinel at the intersection of Tydeman and Port Beach Roads, gazing out over the vast Indian Ocean.
The work pays homage to a rare and solemn event: the appearance of a lone sperm whale, the largest of the toothed whales, which came dangerously close to Port Beach before becoming stranded on a sandbar near Rockingham. Despite efforts to assist, the whale died, leaving behind a haunting presence.
Whalefall transforms the existing edifice into a sanctuary of sound and light — a spectral memorial to this marine giant. The structure becomes an illuminated carcass, pulsing with sonic echoes that reference the whale’s extraordinary acoustic world. Sperm whales communicate and echolocate through powerful clicks, trumpets, and codas, with vocalisations reaching up to 230 decibels — the loudest of any animal on Earth.
In this work, Frost and Mùller evoke the ghostly resonance of these underwater signals, reimagining the shed as both a beacon and a requiem — a place where land meets sea, memory meets myth, and silence is filled with the language of giants.
Date and Time
Thurs 27 & Fri 28 Nov
Session times:
20:00 – 20:20pm
20:40 – 21:00pm
21:20 – 21:40pm
22:00 – 22:20pm
22:40 – 23:00pm
Location
Port Beach Shed
(CNR Tydeman Rd & Port Beach Rd)
Entry
Free
Image Credit
Photo: Duncan Wright
Ben Frost is an Australian/Icelandic composer, sound artist, and stage director. His work spans studio recordings, performance, installation, and collaborations across dance, theatre, and film, where his work appears in Sleeping Beauty (Julia Leigh), Palestine 36 (Annemarie Jacir), Raised by Wolves (Ridley Scott), Die My Love (Lynne Ramsay), 1899, and the cult series Dark.
Selected by Brian Eno as his protégé through the Rolex Arts Initiative, Frost has also collaborated extensively with artist Richard Mosse on the acclaimed multi-channel video/sound works The Enclave, Incoming, and Broken Spectre.
He has written and directed two operas, The Wasp Factory and The Murder of Halit Yozgat – a collaboration with research agency Forensic Architecture.
Tom Mùller is an Australian/Swiss multi-disciplinary artist with an active practice spanning the realms of site-responsive, temporal and permanent projects. His work has been included in major exhibitions and Institutions including ‘The National’ at Carriageworks, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Adelaide Biennial, Biennale de la Chaux-de-Fonds, the Northern Alps Triennale in Japan and the upcoming sa Biennale in the Himalayas.
He was mentored by the Russian-American conceptual artist Ilya Kabakov in New York, and studied Anthroposophy at Emerson College in London. He holds a BFA (first class honours) in Sculpture from Curtin University of Technology.
He builds on existing bodies of work exploring the themes of perception, and the invisible aspects of natural phenomena, through the use of temporary time-based installation.
Port Beach Shed
North Fremantle
Duration: 20 minutes (looped).
Event Information: The Port Beach Shed is located at the corner of Tydeman Road and Port Beach Road. See map link here. (across the road from COAST Port Beach).
This event will be held outdoors. We recommend bringing warm clothing and a picnic blanket or low-chair to sit on.
Food & Drink: Food will not be available on site. Fremantle has excellent food options closeby. Visit our Plan Your Visit section for our favourite cafes, restaurants and bars.
No water will be provided so please bring your own.
Latecomers: We recommend arriving at least 15 minutes before advertised start times to secure a good viewing position.
In the event of inclement weather certain this event may be delayed or cancelled. Please follow Fremantle Biennale on social media for up-to-date information.
Parking: Parking is available across the road from the event site at Port Beach Car Park.
Public Transport: The Port Beach Workshop is a short 13-minute walk from the North Fremantle Train Station on the Fremantle line.
The event area is accessed via a pedestrian crossing and footpath and road area.
The nearest accessible toilets are located at Port Beach Public Toilets.
