Badu Gili Healing Spirit Lighting of the Sails

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