Did we miss the punch line or has that legendary mineral boom been and gone already?

It may be true that WA mining culture's moment of glory has faded into suburban myth but all this talk of nickel, oil and hummer-sines has seen Mr Moneybags over here overlook what we see as one of the goldfields’ greatest assets and it’s got nothing to do with crane rigs or cost reports.

The boom. collective is all about the effects that the sudden economic growth and collapse of the Western Australian resource industry has had on local artists –beyond pricier coffee and higher rents –and we think the uniquely integrated creative community has never been better.

The boom. organizers and eighteen of their most promising peers have spent the last eight months or so putting together a cross-platform, multi-faceted book and accompanying exhibition, while the LIMV crew has been helping out with bits and pieces because that’s just how we operate.

Katie of LIMV is one half the boom. production team, where she and writer Steph Kretowicz have been working together to cultivate a collaborative work across a variety of creative mediums and platforms in an effort to articulate the thoughts and concerns of the fringe community of Perth.

The result is a unique collection of interconnected works from various emerging creatives spanning the fields of visual arts, music, writing, photography, architectural design and fashion. They'll all appear in the interrelated contexts of an exhibition, website and, most importantly, a publication, which follows a fictional narrative inspired by conversations with all involved.

The book and exhibit include video works examining aestheticised nationalism and bogan pride, striking architectural imaginings, photographs of the ever-developing suburbia and large-scale exploratory drawings sitting next to a series of documented performative urban interventions. There’s a cross-continental dialogue between two fashion designer friends, caricatures and archetypes inspired by leisure time and celebrations, a joint work from a poet and a photographer, as well as a string of documented public “guerilla gigs” from local noise band Cease.

The idea was to promote an honest dialogue between the economic decision makers of Perth and the art community by presenting alternative viewpoints from contributors responding to their changing hometown environment.

The exhibition and publication launch 6pm Saturday June 27 at Spectrum Project Space, 221 Beaufort Street.

It continues until Sunday July 12.

The gallery opens from 2pm-6pm Monday-Sunday.

Also featuring a performance from Cease, the boom. book launch and exhibition is a unique demonstration of the vibrant combined music & art community at it’s best.

So check out their artist pages on the boom. website at boom09.com.au for a sneak peek.

Copies of the book will be available at the launch but for those of you who can’t make they will also be stocked at selected outlets nationwide as well as online on the boom. website and through Love is My Velocity.