Integrated advertising agency Yakkazoo has collaborated with Aboriginal artist Wayne Quilliam to develop Sharing the Life Essence campaign, to appear on the pylons of the Sydney Harbour Bridge as part of the Vivid Sydney’s First Light ceremony.
The ceremony is a celebration of First Nations culture shaped by creative advisor Rhoda Roberts. Vivid Sydney will use the backdrop of the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons to open the festival for 2022 and celebrate the Gadigal people and country via Quilliam’s projections.
Yakkazoo worked in collaboration with Quilliam, bringing to life his story through animation. Qulliam’s Sharing the Life Essence celebrates the Gadigal people and their land through photography and animated graphics. His towering projection looks at the balance of our world and reveals how everything is connected.
“Everything was created to connect, everything is living. Our story begins with the creation. The Rainbow Serpent forms the country – and the many totems of sea, land, and the night sky that connect to it. From the river estuaries, to the rocks, and the sea, we see fish life and totems of the Sydney basin spring to life across the surface,” said Qulliam.
“This spectacular projection also warns us how unpredictable Country can be. NSW has long seen the benefits of thousands of years of Indigenous culture and land practices.”
Qulliam’s work was exhibited at Yakkazoo Melbourne HQ in 2021 as part of the VMG Art Series. The series plays a dual role in supporting emerging artists as well as inspiring the agency team with a constantly changing creative environment.
Yakkazoo managing director, Mark Barrett, said: “Wayne Quilliam’s work is a real celebration of First Nations culture. It is also incredibly relevant to our current time when climate change is on the forefront of everyone’s minds. The way Wayne connects that to culture and translates it through the projections is really mesmerising.”
Sharing the Same Life Essence will be shown on all four pylons of the Sydney Harbour Bridge from 5:40pm until Lights On at 6pm each day from opening on May 27 until the end of the festival on June 18.
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