Opera House: Badu Gili
Following on from the success of the Vivid Songlines project, Artists in Motion were commissioned to produce a permanent 7-minute piece, showing year-round from sunset on the eastern Bennelong sail of the Sydney Opera House.
Rich, historical works by five eminent First Nations artists from across Australia and the Torres Strait Islands set the foundation for each chapter of the projected story, entitled Badu Gili meaning ‘water light’ in Gadigal language. The show was curated by Rhoda Roberts, head of First Nations programming.
Artists in Motion produced the show. We worked with AIM’s artistic directors to bring to life the artworks of ‘Jenuarrie’ (Judith Warrie), producing over 2 minutes of motion graphics using Jenuarrie’s beautiful paintings.
The key challenge was to re-create the artist’s work to enable it to map onto the sails. Supplied with photographs of the artworks, the brief was to to re-create each piece digitally, then animate and recompose it to work on the curved surfaces of the Opera House.
Project Details
Client Artists in Motion
Date 2017
Disciplines Design & Storyboarding, 2D and 3D animation
The project was interesting to work on, as I was involved from the storyboarding and design stage, taking Jenuarrie’s detailed paintings and isolating elements to animate. One example was the sea creatures from her monochromatic work, which I remade in 3D and textured to preserve the look of the original images.
The project also involved 3D particle effects to recreate Jenuarrie’s iconic waving seaweed. It was a project that I was very proud to be involved with, and it introduced me to the work of a very talented and special artist.
Badu Gili is an important first contact point for the 8 million people who visit the iconic venue each year from Australia and worldwide. Long before the Opera House sat at Bennelong Point, the area was a gathering place for ceremony and storytelling for the Gadigal people. It’s an important step for Sydney’s landmarks to acknowledge, celebrate and honour the traditional custodians of this country.
Credits
Artist Jenuarrie (Judith Warrie)
Creative Director Caterina Vicaretti | Artists in Motion
Design & 2D/3D Animation Rory Cubby | Totem