Badu Gili: Healing Spirit

  • First Nations
  • Experiences
  • Monumental Steps
  • Run time - 6 minutes

Celebrating First Nations culture

Badu Gili - meaning ‘water light’ in the language of the traditional owners of Bennelong Point, the Gadigal - is a free daily experience that explores First Nations stories in a spectacular six-minute projection on the Opera House’s eastern Bennelong sails.

Watch the sails illuminate with Badu Gili: Healing Spirit, a new projection celebrating the work and stories of local and international First Nations artists, created in collaboration between the Opera House, Biennale of Sydney and the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain.

As a celebration of the rich history and contemporary vibrancy of Australia’s First Nations culture, Badu Gili continues the traditions of Bennelong Point, formerly known as Tubowgule (where the knowledge waters meet), a gathering place for community, ceremony and storytelling for thousands of years.

Badu Gili: Healing Spirit illuminates the eastern Bennelong sails with a dynamic projection displaying the works of celebrated First Nations artists, the late Bidjigal elder Esme Timbery and her children Marilyn Russell and Steven Russell, and artist Joseca Mokahesi Yanomami of the Yanomami people in the Amazon. 

Inspired by shellwork crafted by Esme Timbery and Marilyn Russell, prints and weavings by Steven Russell, and Joseca Mokahesi Yanomami's drawings of the spirits and landscapes of the remote Yanomami forest, the new six-minute digital animation explores rituals and the bonds of cultural and familial connection forged through art and storytelling. 

An important pillar of the Opera House’s year-round First Nations program, Badu Gili is an essential Sydney cultural experience for both visitors and the local community that aims to foster and celebrate a shared sense of belonging for all Australians.

Read the Sydney Opera House Reconciliation Action Plan.

Badu Gili is presented in collaboration with the Biennale of Sydney and the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain

Event details

About the artists

Credits

Sound
VANDAL Sound Engineer: Nigel Crowley 
Composer: James Henry
Shamanic Chants: Hutukara Yanomami Association and Marcos Wesley de Oliveira
Old Rugged Cross by George Bennard licensed through CopyCare
Buri Buri Song by Raymond Ingrey recorded by Gamay Dancers 

Projection
VANDAL
Creative Director - Chris Scott
Executive Producer - Melissa Lee
Producer - Alice Robinson
Art Director and Lead Animator - Anna Fraser 
VFX Supervisor - Joseph Pole 
3D Artist - Tim Clapham
3D Artist - William McNamara
2D Artist - Sam Hoh 

Visiting the Opera House

Getting here

How to get to the Opera House - and finding your way around our amenities, venues and precinct once you’re here.

An aerial view of the Sydney opera house.

Experiences

Things to do and see when visiting the House.

Attending this event

Plan your visit

Address

Sydney Opera House
Bennelong Point
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia

Getting to the venue

The Opera House is a 7-10 minute walk from Circular Quay, and is easily accessible by car, train, ferry, lightrail, bus, bike and on foot.

Location and access

Monumental Steps

The Monumental Steps are best accessed from the Forecourt.

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