A Magical Hotstart is a new avant-garde opera by Australian artist Justene Williams created in collaboration with neurodiverse musicians from Club Weld.

In A Magical Hotstart, Williams crafts a world of transformations, connections and emotions inspired by objects from the Powerhouse Collection (opens in new tab) and named in honour of the powerful act of hot starting a car (or a museum). The score features music by Jerrah Patston, Sienna Acquaro, Charbel Nehme, Adoni, Chris Stiles, Patrick Li, Nina Gotsis, Jonathan Yung and Tua Hunt, accompanied by members of the Australian Chamber Orchestra led by Charlie Westhoff, and special guests.

Following the performance on Thursday 26 November, join artist Justene Williams and ACE Executive Director Anne Loxley in conversation exploring how AI is reshaping creative practice. Together, they will consider how AI-generated visual material challenges ideas of authorship, artistic practice and cultural value.

Presented in partnership with Arts & Cultural Exchange (ACE), Parramatta.