Badu Gili

Kicking off at sunset, the free six-minute projection — curated by the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain’s First Nations Curatorial Fellow Bruce Johnson McLean — will feature Street's colourful paintings followed by Teevee's bold drawings on the Eastern Bennelong sails, for the third year of the creative partnership between the Opera House, Biennale of Sydney and the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain.

Mervyn Street’s distinctive artistic practice draws upon his lifetime as a stockman in the Kimberley and advocacy of cultural preservation through language and living on country. Kinngaimmiut Inuk artist Ningiukulu Teevee creates visual art rooted in Inuit myths and legends, keeping traditional stories alive while offering her unique perspective on Inuit culture. The work of both artists will be animated by Sydney-based creative agency Vandal.

The first chapter is set on Gooniyandi Country in the Kimberley where dust, fire and wind lift ancestral voices from scorching heat to moonlight. The narrative then shifts to Teevee's homeland of Nunavut in the Arctic, where ice and snow cradle stories in stillness as Raven and Owl perform timeless tales of creation, kinship and transformation.

The premiere of Badu Gili: Story Keepers will take place on Wednesday 17 December with a special performance by Loren Ryan at sunset. Members of the public can find out more information here.