Vigil: Awaken

35 minutes

Sydney Festival Closed Captions

Live from the shores of Barangaroo Reserve and looking out to Me-Mel

(This event was previously livestreamed at 8.30pm Wednesday, 25 January 2023)

This year, audiences can witness and participate in the ceremony of Vigil from wherever they are on the evening of 25 January.

As the peoples of Eora gather at Barangaroo Reserve and look out across the water towards Me-Mel (formerly Goat Island), viewers at home will look on via a specially curated livestream, as we celebrate the re-awakening of the spirit of this precious island, which has been a key landmark of Sydney Harbour for several hundred years and a sacred place for the clans of Eora for tens of thousands.

Ceremonial smoke, flares, music, light, performance and narration will intertwine to create a dramatic and mesmerising multimedia art piece, through which to appreciate the deep cultural significance of Me-Mel's forthcoming return to her original custodians.

Created by Jacob Nash and Stephen Page, with sound by Steve Francis and lighting by Matt Marshall, Vigil: Awaken is a cleansing of place, a re-awakening of spirit, and an honouring of sovereignty.

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