The forgotten grandeur of Fremantle's former P&O hotel is slowly being restored to its former glory. The historic building, a relic from the 19th century, has stood empty and untouched for decades, its stunning stained-glass windows, dark timber mouldings, and iron-framed balcony weathered and worn.
However, this past week, Fremantle's residents were invited into the hotel's upper floor to experience an immersive art installation as part of the city's Fremantle Biennale. For two days only, over 40 musicians, poets, painters, and multimedia artists transformed the rooms into a maze of performances and installations that responded to the hotel's complex history.
The brainchild of musician Danielle Caruana (aka Mama Kin) and artist Tom Mùller, Room Service was designed to activate the building's latent creative potential. "I don't think people realise how much latent creative output becomes possible when property owners have the will and vision to back a simple idea," Caruana said.
As visitors made their way through the hotel's labyrinthine corridors, they encountered an astonishing array of works that reflected on the P&O's maritime past, its history as a sailors' bar, and the colonial legacy that Fremantle is built upon. Each artist had been drawn to the building by its unique character and centrality in the city.
One room was filled with a chorus of animated faces drawn from the hotel's past – sailors, nurses, bellboys, and a beloved 19th-century landlady. Artist Ellen Broadhurst explained that this work represented "the ghost of everyone who's ever been in this room... they're all kind of in hell and heaven, in purgatory and in this room at once."
Meanwhile, artist Guy Louden created Wet End – a playable climate dystopia where players navigated a future Fremantle swallowed by rising seas. The game reflected the "split vision" we have as individuals, knowing catastrophe is coming while still pursuing growth.
In another room, architect Nic Brunsdon had stripped away the hotel's modern façade to imagine what stood here long before the building – the trees, soil and coastal ecology that once shaped this part of Fremantle. The result was a quiet, sensory refuge filled with natural materials and scents.
Room Service came as a surprise to many, not just because of its temporary nature but also the willingness of property owners Nic Trimboli and Adrian Fini to host an event that brought art and creativity into their abandoned building. As Caruana reflected on what Room Service revealed, "Empty spaces are a vacuum... they create these kind of gaps in continuity. They create gaps in an experience of connectivity."
However, this past week, Fremantle's residents were invited into the hotel's upper floor to experience an immersive art installation as part of the city's Fremantle Biennale. For two days only, over 40 musicians, poets, painters, and multimedia artists transformed the rooms into a maze of performances and installations that responded to the hotel's complex history.
The brainchild of musician Danielle Caruana (aka Mama Kin) and artist Tom Mùller, Room Service was designed to activate the building's latent creative potential. "I don't think people realise how much latent creative output becomes possible when property owners have the will and vision to back a simple idea," Caruana said.
As visitors made their way through the hotel's labyrinthine corridors, they encountered an astonishing array of works that reflected on the P&O's maritime past, its history as a sailors' bar, and the colonial legacy that Fremantle is built upon. Each artist had been drawn to the building by its unique character and centrality in the city.
One room was filled with a chorus of animated faces drawn from the hotel's past – sailors, nurses, bellboys, and a beloved 19th-century landlady. Artist Ellen Broadhurst explained that this work represented "the ghost of everyone who's ever been in this room... they're all kind of in hell and heaven, in purgatory and in this room at once."
Meanwhile, artist Guy Louden created Wet End – a playable climate dystopia where players navigated a future Fremantle swallowed by rising seas. The game reflected the "split vision" we have as individuals, knowing catastrophe is coming while still pursuing growth.
In another room, architect Nic Brunsdon had stripped away the hotel's modern façade to imagine what stood here long before the building – the trees, soil and coastal ecology that once shaped this part of Fremantle. The result was a quiet, sensory refuge filled with natural materials and scents.
Room Service came as a surprise to many, not just because of its temporary nature but also the willingness of property owners Nic Trimboli and Adrian Fini to host an event that brought art and creativity into their abandoned building. As Caruana reflected on what Room Service revealed, "Empty spaces are a vacuum... they create these kind of gaps in continuity. They create gaps in an experience of connectivity."
the stained glass windows tho!!!! 
and mama kin's performance was straight fire 
i mean the whole event felt like somethin outta a dream... all that creativity in this old hotel... it's like freo is finally gettin some love 
and the art installations were so thought-provokin, like guy loudens game what a concept 
and did u see the ghostly faces drawin by ellen broadhurst? chills 
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. And let's be real, who wouldn't want to escape into a climate dystopia game or a sensory refuge made from natural materials? 
. It's like the building was waiting for its chance to shine, and Room Service gave it that spark 
like what's wrong w/ leaving it empty? it's like we r tryin 2 preserve history or somethin. an artist doin an immersive art installation in a abandoned building is just a fancy way of sayin "we found something cool in here" 
I mean, can you even imagine walking through those stunning stained-glass windows and old-school dark timber mouldings? It's like stepping back into history! The art installation Room Service was pure GENIUS! I loved how it brought out the building's hidden creative potential. Danielle Caruana and Tom Mùller must have been total visionaries to think of this project. And, omg, Ellen Broadhurst's ghostly room was giving me CHILLS!!! 
The way Guy Louden's Wet End game reflected our split vision on climate change is just SO RELatable! It's amazing how empty spaces can be so transformative when we infuse them with creativity and meaning. Can't wait to see the hotel fully restored and what other surprises it holds for Fremantle residents and visitors alike 
i went with my friends and we were blown away by all the performances and installations... i felt like i was transported back in time when we walked through those rooms 
i loved how each artist had their own unique spin on the history of the hotel, it was so interesting to learn about the different eras that the P&O went through 
i also felt really bad for the building being left empty for so long... i guess it's nice to see it getting a new lease on life 
room service was like a breath of fresh air, right? I loved how each artist brought their own unique perspective to the table... or should i say, the balcony 
maybe we should all be embracing the idea that sometimes it's okay to leave things a little "vacant" and see what kind of magic happens?