Sydney Opera House - Badu Gili 2018
Illuminating the Eastern sails of Sydney Opera House daily at sunset, Badu Gili - meaning ‘water light’ - celebrates the work of six First Nations artists. Curated by Rhoda Roberts AO, Badu Gili 2018 features the work of Mervyn Rubuntja, Mabel Juli, Penny Evans, Aiona tala Gaidan, Patricia Ansell Dodds & Djambawa Marawili.
Each artists unique vision was meticulously brought to life across the sails. The focus of the artists work, location, & methods forming the basis of both the narrative & animation styles throughout the piece. A vast range of techniques were used - from illustration, photography, 2D & 3D animation to modelling, rigging, compositing & particle systems - whilst maintaining a handmade, tactile feel to the work.
Each artists unique vision was meticulously brought to life across the sails. The focus of the artists work, location, & methods forming the basis of both the narrative & animation styles throughout the piece. A vast range of techniques were used - from illustration, photography, 2D & 3D animation to modelling, rigging, compositing & particle systems - whilst maintaining a handmade, tactile feel to the work.
Running from July 2018 to July 2019, the year long experience is a stunning celebration of First Nations art & culture.
Process
Narrative Development
Storyboard Development
Final Frames
Having delivered numerous large scale projections & previous work for Sydney Opera House I was enlisted by design agency Vandal to lead the animation component of the project, working closely with creative agency Yakkazoo.
On receiving the featured artists work the first step was research - their practice, location, subject matter and tools informing both the narrative and production methods of their chapter in the piece.
From the watercolours of Mervyn Rubuntja, the ochre works of Mabel Juli to the engraved ceramics of Penny Evans the artist's medium was carried through into the animation to give each chapter a distinct style. Art director Jeremy Mansford beautifully brought to life the bold prints of Aiona tala Gaidan, the dot work of Patricia Ansell Dodds & intricate work of Djambawa Marawili maintaining the tactility of the works.
Constructing a narrative in pencil & paper allows to quickly build a story & visualise the work as a whole, physically chopping & changing sequences. Sketches are then worked up in Photoshop & form the basis of the animatic.
Project Credits
Project Credits
Badu Gili Artists
Mervyn Rubuntja
Mabel Juli
Penny Evans
Aiona tala Gaidan
Patricia Ansell Dodds
Djambawa Marawili
Mervyn Rubuntja
Mabel Juli
Penny Evans
Aiona tala Gaidan
Patricia Ansell Dodds
Djambawa Marawili
Sydney Opera House
Curator - Rhoda Roberts AO
Sound Design - Damian Robinson
