Bangarra are proud to launch their third VIVID Sydney installation tonight, illuminating the southern pylon of the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge with EORA – The land.
Created by Bangarra’s Artistic Director Stephen Page and Head of Design Jacob Nash, this four minute video projection gives Vivid visitors an insight into the connection between country and the Eora peoples of NSW. This year marks the third time that Page and Nash have collaborated to project such a large scale work onto the southern pylon of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Through Bangarra’s renowned contemporary dance expression, fused with Aboriginal culture, traditional language, post production effects and the latest digital technology, EORA – The land will take VIVID viewers on a journey of discovery, exploring the vital relationship shared between the traditional owners of NSW land with its flora and fauna.
“Following on from our first Vivid projection back in 2013, we continue the celebration of the Eora Nation. Dawes Point, the southern side of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, is a significant cultural site which we’re privileged to honour during the Festival and share with so many visitors,” said Nash. “Year on year, it’s been such a special project to work on. It allows us to go outside of our comfort zone, transferring our ideas and creativity into a new, powerful medium to celebrate the Eora nation with Australians and people from around the world.”
Animation and digital technology are employed to project some of New South Wales' most compelling flora and fauna directly onto the ochre-covered bodies of Bangarra dancers Deborah Brown and Daniel Riley, their bodies representing the land as it lives and breathes. The waratah flower and the black cockatoo have inspired this breathtaking work. Bangarra worked with editor Simon Njoo, post production company Blackbird and the Royal Botanic Gardens to create this stunning visual tableau, with music composed by Steve Francis.
It will be visible from 6pm - midnight nightly for the duration of Vivid Sydney (until 18 June), the world’s largest festival of light, music and ideas, owned and managed by Destination NSW, the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency.
This isn’t your only chance to see Bangarra, as the company prepare to embark on their national tour of the triple bill OUR land people stories, which opens on June 17 at the Sydney Opera House, before travelling to Perth, Canberra, Brisbane and Melbourne.
