Abstract/Description |
Designed by Eamon D’Arcy, this replica of an African, animal-skin drum featured in ‘Arrivals’ - a theatrical segment in the Opening Ceremony for the Sydney Olympic Games. Along with other African- inspired props and costumes, it signified the African traditions that arrived in Australia through migration. Prop makers, Gustavo Balboa and Charles Gillespie, made the drum in 2000 at the Ceremonies Workshop at Eveleigh, painting the surface with an animal skin pattern. The black details on this and other African props make direct reference to the black Olympic ring - a symbol of the African continent. Dressed in black and white costumes, African men danced onto the arena pretending to beat the drums. |
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