This design model represents the 'lion fish', one of several marine- inspired props that were hoisted above Stadium Australia during the Opening Ceremony for the Sydney Olympic Games. Featuring in the segment, 'Deep Sea Dreaming', these transformed the airspace into a fantastical underwater world and celebrated Australia's marine environment.

Segment designer, Dan Potra, developed the 'flying fish' and also tested the award-winning cable system. This consisted of eleven 'fly lines' that were connected to the stadium roof truss and to computerised winches that controlled the props' movement. This model, which was suspended from a nylon line, was used to simulate the lion fish and the cable system. Its crude appearance - carved and painted polystyrene - suggests that it was an early prop design.

Described by the NSW premier Bob Carr as 'the greatest spectacle Australia has produced', the opening ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games took place at Stadium Australia, Homebush Bay on Friday 15 September 2000. Though the ceremony featured anthems, speeches, oaths, flags, pop singers and a marching band, its daring conceptual sequences ('Deep Sea Dreaming', 'Awakening', 'Nature', 'Tin Symphony', 'Arrivals' and 'Eternity') will be remembered as the major imaginative works. Each segment commenced without interruption, following on from the last to form an overall narrative. The purpose was to project a national image to a worldwide audience, to form the world's vision of Australian culture. This image embraced tolerance, social progress, multiculturalism and reconciliation, as well as nature, history and creativity. Designed to stimulate emotional responses from the audience, these segments delivered a refreshing mixture of youth, naivety and larrikinism.

After the horses from the 'Welcome' segment left the arena, the first narrative sequence, 'Deep Sea Dreaming', began. The 'hero girl', played by the 13-year-old Nikki Webster, skipped onto the arena in a pink sundress. She applied sun cream to her nose, stretched, lay on her beach towel and dreamt of the ocean. Her dreams afforded the director of this segment, Meryl Tankard, the opportunity to transform the stadium into a deep ocean. Eleven cables were used, strung 45 m above the arena across the 111 m space between the grandstands on either side. The hero girl soared high above the arena in a special lift harness, swimming and somersaulting through the ocean, among giant sea creatures. Translucent jellyfish drifted past her, and then various banner fish, sea-dragons, an eel, a mantaray, a ground-based worm, a nudibranch, a Spanish dancer, squid, lion fish, even a fearsome barracuda. Of the 800 people involved in this segment, 150 were schoolchildren taking the part of a giant school of fish. This object was worn by one of these children. The hero girl was sucked slowly downwards among a swirling mass of fish until white-ochre spirits took charge of her and carried her to the stage where the tribal dancer Djakapurra Munyarryun, the Songman, guided her through the following segments of the ceremony.

This design model represents the 'lion fish', one of several marine- inspired props that were hoisted above Stadium Australia during the Opening Ceremony for the Sydney Olympic Games. Its crude appearance - carved and painted polystyrene - suggests that it was an early prop design.

The design model was made at the Ceremonies Workshop from polystyrene, tape and fishing line. Its crude appearance suggests that it was made early in the design process, possibly in mid 1999.

This model, which was suspended from a nylon line, was made to simulate the 'flying' lion fish and the cable system. Its crude appearance - carved and painted polystyrene - suggests that it was an early prop design.

Made for and owned by the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and donated to the Powerhouse Museum after the Games.

Model, lion fish, painted polystyrene/plastic/fibre glass/tape/metal/ nylon line, 'Deep Sea Dreaming', Opening Ceremony for the Olympic Games, Sydney, 2000, designed by Dan Potra, made by model makers at the Ceremonies Workshop, Sydney 2000

Design model of a 'Lion Fish', polystyrene and plastic that has been painted pink. The head and body of the fish have been carved out of polystyrene. The fish has 4 horizontal horn like structures above the eyes carved from polystyrene. The upper horns are short and the lower horns long. There is an additional carved polystyrene vertical horn on the nose of the fish. On either side of the head a plastic eye has been glued into a hole cut into the surface of the polystyrene. The dorsal, pectoral anal and caudal (or tail) fins have been cut out of stiff plastic and glued to the fish body. The pectoral fins consist of three layers of plastic while the caudal and anal fins are made up of two layers. 8 pieces of plastic have been cut to shape and glued to the spine of the fish to create the dorsal fin. Each of the fins has a scalloped edge and has been shaped to emulate the fins of the Lion fish. A piece of fibreglass tubing is inserted into the base of the body where the tail joins the body and white gaffer tape has been wrapped around the join of the body and tail fin of the fish. The fish body and parts of the fins have been spray painted pink. There are two metal rings on either side of the fish body. Fishing line has been tied to the rings allowing the fish to be hung up. A white paper label is attached to the right side of the fish with two drawing pins. Black text on the label '8 / Lion Fish'. PHM number on tail fin.

Made: 2000

2001/84/227

2000

750 mm

1020 mm