EORA – Bennelong is a brand-new, large-scale installation that marries Aboriginal history, dance, art and architecture. It can be seen exclusively on the imposing Southern Pylon of the Sydney Harbour Bridge as part of Vivid Sydney from 26 May to 17 June.
As the sun goes down on the Harbour City at 6pm next Friday 26 May, Sydney will be transformed into a colourful canvas of light, music, and ideas.
EORA – Bennelong honours one of Australia’s most mythologised and celebrated individuals from the days of first contact: Woollarawarre Bennelong. Created by Bangarra’s Artistic Director Stephen Page and Head of Design Jacob Nash, this 2.5-minute projection is inspired by a historical portrait of Bennelong. With Jacob as Design Director, the duo delved into history and traditional lore, finding rare stories and historical portraits and bringing them to life with contemporary movement, seeking to unveil the character of this audacious and intrepid Aboriginal man.
His spirit will be brought to life with overlaid footage of some of Australia’s most exciting contemporary dancers: Beau Dean Riley Smith, Luke Currie-Richardson and Rikki Mason.
“For this piece we played with abstracted images of the three dancers: Beau as the spirit of Bennelong, and Luke and Rikki the energies challenging him from the black and white systems,” explains Page.
“The result is a bold, graphic treatment that is quite a contrast to our usual stage aesthetic.”
This piece is the fourth in a series of EORA stories told by Bangarra Dance Theatre as part of Vivid Sydney, continuing on from EORA – The Land (2016), EORA – The Fisherwoman (2015) and EORA – The Spirit of Patyegarang (2014).
Continuing Bangarra’s tradition of collaborating with a range of art forms and artists, the creative team has engaged award-winning film editor Simon Njoo and post-production team Blackbird.
The name ‘Bennelong’ resonates with in many ways, and is part of the historical iconography of Australia. Long before the famous Bennelong Point and the Sydney Opera House, there was Bennelong the man.
He was one of the first Aboriginal men to be taken from his clan and introduced to European ways; the first Aboriginal author; the first to travel far overseas; and one of the first Aboriginal people to have their life story recorded and documented by Western writers.
Go exploring at night and let Bangarra shine a light on this fascinating chapter of Sydney’s Aboriginal history.
If you enjoy EORA – Bennelong see more of Bangarra Dance Theatre with Bennelong performances at Sydney Opera House June 92th to July 22nd.
