Badu Gili free light show
Crowds watching the Badu Gili light show on the eastern promenade at Sydney Opera House.
Sydney’s iconic Opera House is instantly recognisable and more than 8 million people visit it each year, for performances, tours, just to look at it, and these days of course take selfies.
It juts out into the harbour on Bennelong Point, the meeting place of the Gadigal people, traditional owners of the area.
Scene from the spectacular Badu Gili light show projected onto the Bennelong Restaurant sails at the Sydney Opera House. The scenes represent indigenous Australian mythology, flora and fauna.
Since the end of June 2017, at sunset every day the eastern Opera House sails have been illuminated with a light show featuring the stories and art of Australia’s indigenous people – Badu Gili.
Badu Gili – ‘water light’
Scene from the spectacular Badu Gili light show projected onto the Bennelong Restaurant sails at the Sydney Opera House. The scenes represent indigenous Australian mythology, flora and fauna.
Badu Gili means ‘water light’ in the Gadigal language.
Work from five First Nations artists, Jenuarrie (Judith Warrie), Frances Belle Parker, Alick Tipoti and the late Lin Onus and Minnie Pwerle, has been woven together and animated by ProVideoCoalition.
Scene from the spectacular Badu Gili light show projected onto the Bennelong Restaurant sails at the Sydney Opera House. The scenes represent indigenous Australian mythology, flora and fauna.
The Opera House’s head of First Nations programming, Ms Rhoda Roberts, said Badu Gili mixed music and images to celebrate time-honoured stories of seasonal change in flora and fauna. (Sydney Morning Herald)
Seven minutes in wonderland
Scene from the spectacular Badu Gili light show projected onto the Bennelong Restaurant sails at the Sydney Opera House. The scenes represent indigenous Australian mythology, flora and fauna.
We saw Badu Gili at sunset – 7.40pm on the day we were there – and it really is spectacular. The scenes represent indigenous mythology and all manner of patterns, birds, sea life and more flow across the sails blending with each other beautifully.
Scene from the spectacular Badu Gili light show projected onto the Bennelong Restaurant sails at the Sydney Opera House. The scenes represent indigenous Australian mythology, flora and fauna.
The show lasts for just seven minutes but it is well worth seeing. In fact we returned next night to watch it again. However if you want to hear the music and narration you need to stand close to the projector.
Scene from the spectacular Badu Gili light show projected onto the Bennelong Restaurant sails at the Sydney Opera House. The scenes represent indigenous Australian mythology, flora and fauna.
The performance takes place twice a night, at sunset and 9pm. The best place to watch it is from the promenade at the top of the long steps on the eastern side.
Scene from the spectacular Badu Gili light show projected onto the Bennelong Restaurant sails at the Sydney Opera House. The scenes represent indigenous Australian mythology, flora and fauna.
Scene from the spectacular Badu Gili light show projected onto the Bennelong Restaurant sails at the Sydney Opera House. The scenes represent indigenous Australian mythology, flora and fauna.
Scene from the spectacular Badu Gili light show projected onto the Bennelong Restaurant sails at the Sydney Opera House. The scenes represent indigenous Australian mythology, flora and fauna.
Scene from the spectacular Badu Gili light show projected onto the Bennelong Restaurant sails at the Sydney Opera House. The scenes represent indigenous Australian mythology, flora and fauna.
Scene from the spectacular Badu Gili light show projected onto the Bennelong Restaurant sails at the Sydney Opera House. The scenes represent indigenous Australian mythology, flora and fauna.
See the Sydney Opera House Badu Gili video with music and narration here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H6GvmIHPaA
See details of how ProVideoCoalition produced the animation here – https://www.provideocoalition.com/badu-gili-behind-scenes/