We Are Warriors to put on fierce, bold and fiery New Year’s Eve display

On New Year’s Eve in Sydney, one of the world’s brightest spotlights will be shone on Indigenous storytelling, as We Are Warriors and creative innovation studio R/GA presents its Calling Country performance

Ben Miles, VP, Executive Creative Director, Brand Design, R/GA Australia + Asia and Co Founder of We Are Warriors and Yuin artist, rapper, and Triple J Radio host Nooky, the founder and creative director of We Are Warriors

At 9pm on New Year’s Eve in Sydney, one of the world’s brightest spotlights will be shone on Indigenous storytelling.

The tender for the City of Sydney’s 9pm fireworks show was won earlier this year by social Indigenous enterprise We Are Warriors and creative innovation studio R/GA, which partnered to beam a message of “strength, power and resilience” to Australia and the world.

According to its lead creators, Yuin artist, rapper and Triple J host Nooky, as well as Ben Miles, vice president, executive creative director of brand design at R/GA, this message is as potent and timeless as it is timely, after the referendum on the Indigenous voice to parliament was voted down in ­October.

Devastated but not defeated, Nooky told The Growth Agenda that he took the referendum result as the “ultimate challenge” to inspire and unite Indigenous communities and fellow “warriors” around the world. On New Year’s Eve, that vision and mission will be amplified.

“Everything I do from this moment forward is to challenge that,” he said. “And I knew about this big platform coming up. And I was like, ‘okay, here’s my response, and let my people know that they’re loved. And they are heard. And we’ve got a voice’.

“You’ll see on New Year’s Eve, that message on display in big, bold text up on the Harbour Bridge – a direct message from our people. It’s a direct response from myself to my mob that you are seen, you are loved, you are a ­warrior.”

We Are Warriors to produce City of Sydney’s Calling Country and New Year’s Eve fireworks. Illustrations by Janelle Burger

The tender for the project was won by We Are Warriors and R/GA before the referendum result, which influenced the final creative approach for the New Year’s Eve display.

The concept, titled Calling Country, is focused on reminding audiences of the eternally present Indigenous land upon which we stand. The performance tells the story of legendary Bidjigal man Pemulwuy, a renowned resistance fighter. There will be a Welcome to Country projection and a nine-minute original score, as fireworks light up the night sky. Pylon projections, a collaboration between We Are Warriors, R/GA, illustrator Janelle Burger, Vandal and 3D artist Jock Holyman, will depict how stories passed down through generations keep Indigenous culture and identity alive.

Mr Miles said: “What’s so beautiful and powerful is that the narrative was always going to be staunch, proud and bold.

“We then adapted and had to pivot. And it was a simple pivot, which is just reinforcing that strength and resilience and love for all Indigenous people across Australia,” Mr Miles added.

Nooky’s motivation is highly personal. He explained that since the referendum, his world feels different.

“Being out in general public is very hard for me to do – the office or any social interaction these days – because I just don’t know where I stand. And I don’t know, the people walking across the street from me, where they stand, even,” he said.

He also said he wasn’t shocked by the referendum result, either.

“I knew it was going to be no. I was ready for no, always prepared for no. But it was the night before (and) the morning of, I allowed myself some hope,” Nooky said.

“And the hope kind of took over, and then it was crushed. I was like maybe it will happen. Maybe we have progressed as a country. Maybe we can take some steps together to address these problems and fix them. And I felt that hope. It was there. And then it was taken away. And that’s the part that hurt, but more so for my kids and for my elders.”

Three years since We Are Warriors was founded, the enterprise is also growing its global footprint. Earlier this year, We Are Warriors and R/GA were recognised at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in France.

They won a Bronze Lion for a music single and short documentary-style film, Through The Fire. The piece was in the company of top global talent at the Cannes Lions Entertainment for Music category, including Rihanna and Ed Sheeran.

“I feel like we’re doing this in a way that hasn’t been done before,” Nooky said. “Like, we are fierce, we are bold, we are energetic, we are fiery. But it’s just Blak excellence on display. It’s Blak power on display.

“We’re just showing what happens when Blak people lead with love and compassion, and determination.

“And I think that really speaks to what We Are Warriors is about and what we do. And I think that’s why we’re undeniable in the things that we do.”

Nooky said We Are Warriors’ audience is also international.

“For us, the mindset was always global,” he said. “The focus was on our people, and it’s always gonna be on our people. And the heart of this is our people. But we had every intention of taking this global from day one.”

The story that will be told on December 31 is also global by design. While there is a message on New Year’s Eve specifically for Indigenous Australians, the narrative of “strength” and “resilience” have been chosen to connect with crowds tuning into the display around the world.

“There’s allies and advocates everywhere. The more people that come on the journey and understand the better,” Mr Miles said.

“Our mission has always been, ‘It’s hard to be what you can’t see.’ Our answer to that is ‘See it to be it’. So everything we do is about elevating Blak excellence, putting a spotlight on Blak excellence.”