Cord 2016 is raising money for Fiona Stanley Hospital’s Spinal Cord Injury Unit

Dubbed "the art auction with a difference".

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Cord is an annual fundraiser for spinal cord injury run by Jos Franciscus, who you may remember from our feature last year. It's raised over $25,000 to date, and returns to Perth with a fresh new theme: 'Take a Seat'. The art auction features work by over 25 local talents including Peche, Kim Kim Kim, Robert Jenkins, Shlives, Brenton See and Monday, while Cian Caton and DJ Ollie spin the tunes. A sold-out 2015 has seen Cord move to the spacious warehouse at City Farm (1 City Farm Place, East Perth) for this year's event, and 100% of the funds set to be raised will be going directly to the Spinal Cord Injury Unit at Fiona Stanley Hospital. To find out more about what truly makes Cord "the art auction with a difference", we spoke to Jos ahead of the event.

PECHE The Rise and Fall

Peche - "The Rise and the Fall"

Hi Jos! How has the fundraiser evolved over the years?

Honestly I guess it started off just as a one-off fundraiser, without much of a theme or sense of direction. It's always had the purpose and heart behind it though. Nowadays it's more orientated around local urban and street artists, original artworks and a centralised theme around spinal cord injury. I'm really happy with how it's evolving each year.

What are some of the highlights from last year?

It was the first auction I had hosted in Perth and as it was the first event with my close friends and family, that was a personal highlight for me. I loved every piece of art created last year, especially as the artists had created it from scratch on our theme 'Dis/Connect'.

Having my good friends The Stoops play live was the cherry on top too.

Kristian Stevens Hollow Throne

Kristian Stevens - "Hollow Throne"

Do you have a favourite piece from the artwork up for grabs?

I'm torn on this question as they're all brilliant. Each artist has interpreted the theme 'Take a Seat' uniquely and it's really up to the bidder what suits their home or personal style. But I love a classic nude (ha!) so Kim Kim Kim, Rose Church, Monday and Anna McEachran have all pieces I'd love to have in my home. That being said, I'll probably get caught up in the auction and end up with a totally different piece altogether!

Kim Kim Kim Untitled

Kim Kim Kim - "Untitled"

What are you most looking forward to about CORD 2016?

Every single artist this year has brought their A-game and I'm incredibly excited to share the calibre of the local talent of artists with the broader community this Saturday. But you can't beat the live auction. We've got an exciting new auctioneer this year Blake Dowling, so I expect it will be quite entertaining.

Liam Dee The Wanderer

Liam Dee - "The Wanderer"

Cord 2016 kicks off this Saturday, the 28th of May, at 6pm with tickets available for purchase here. Click through the banner below for more information.