‘Lightning’ the Boonji Spaceman strikes up the Derbarl Yerrigan

Freo Today. 24 May 2025. Not Freo, sorry. But the City of Perth a little up the Derbarl Yerrigan where ‘they’, whoever ‘they’ are, have allowed the landing of this possibly extraterrestrial being. Plainly feel outrivalled by Freo and the need to do something quite extravagant about it.

The Boonji Spaceman titled ‘Lightning’, was unveiled on 22 May outside Perth’s Council House, after much spirited debate and mixed reactions among Perth’s residents and artists.

Is the Spaceman a bold statement of contemporary art or merely an extravagant piece of space-themed décor? As with all art, the answer lies in the eye of the beholder.

Boonji stands at seven-metres tall — a gleaming blue astronaut figure adored with graffiti-like inscriptions. US artist Brendan Murphy, was inspired by Perth’s ‘City of Light’ identity and gifted the sculpture, which is worth $1.5 million, to the City of Perth. Transportation and installation cost Perth ratepayers in the region of $250,000. Boonji stands in Stirling Gardens at the exact spot where the famous Ore Obelisk stood.

Perth now joins five other cities globally to host a Boonji Spaceman: London, Oslo, Houston, Riyadh and Antigua.

Boonji will stay in Stirling Gardens for a year and may then move to Elizabeth Quay.

* Words and pic by Jean Hudson