He’s never been to Australia, let alone the Opera House. But this is how Yann is lighting its sails
French artist Yann Nguema has never been to Australia, but his first visit to Sydney this week won’t be for a holiday; it will be to see his art reflected on the city’s most iconic canvas.
“Ten years ago it was my dream to do a projection at the Sydney Opera House,” he said. “I remember contacting the manager of the Opera House. on my Instagramand I wanted to send him a sample of my work but I never had the courage to do so because I thought I wasn’t good enough. I’ve wanted to do this for years.
“Then the Vivid festival contacted me.”
Nguema, whose work has been projected on landmarks in Europe, Asia and the United States, said he was shocked when he was asked to light the Opera House’s sails, but quickly latched onto it. The delivery date of the project was three months later.
Speaking to this imprint through translator Nicola Thayil, Nguema said, “The development of the project was very fast. They basically gave me carte blanche to choose a theme and all the artistic elements. They also wanted me to stay true to my own character and style, which really combines natural elements, nature and technology.”
“We started talking in December and had a meeting in January. Then I had to write the synopsis and deliver it at the end of January… since the project was approved, I’ve been working on it every day, every weekend, every night since February. It’s just me doing everything; I don’t have a big team.”
Now he has finally completed his work titled. Opera Mundi An interpreter of Australian wildlife and culture, Nguema will finally visit Australia to attend Vivid, which starts on Friday.
It weaves the story of how Jørn Utzon designed the Sydney Opera House into a broader narrative about how nature can inspire art by presenting elements of sky, land and sea with light. The screening is accompanied by a score by Romanian musician Mischa Blanos, which combines techno and classical music.
“I took inspiration for the artwork from all the different entry points of the Sydney Opera House, as well as Jørn Utzon, the architect of the Opera House, in the sense that he was inspired and influenced by natural forms, including the wingspan of birds,” Nguema said.
The Opera House’s unique shape meant that Nguema’s typical projection “recipes” for historic European buildings were not applicable; he had to do something else.
“[It’s] It’s very different from what I’m used to in terms of the traditional square lines of historic buildings that we have in Europe, with lots of windows, lots of statues. The Sydney Opera House is actually simpler in some ways because it almost looks like a screen anyway,” Nguema said.
“It strikes a balance between bringing the graphic design onto the screen, but also emphasizing the architectural lines and shapes of the roof.”
Nicola Thayil provided the translation of this story.
live runs From May 22 to June 13. You can read more about the festival below:
Kayla Olaya is a culture reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.
