Australia – In line with the celebration of National Reconciliation Week in Australia, Surfing Australia, the governing body for surfing in the country, has launched a short film ‘Welcome to Sea Country’, to showcase the Indigenous meaning behind its national team design and national team name – ‘Irukandji’.
National Reconciliation Week is a time for Australians to learn about their shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and making the most out of the celebration, the body’s film aims to put light on its recently launched name and tagline, ‘The Irukandjis: Deadly in the Water’, which boasts of a unique cultural context.
The new film, which is done in collaboration with BWM dentsu and young Indigenous artist Jasmine Craciun, presents cinematic shots of seven-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore, combined with the equally soulful footage of Yirrganydji Traditional Owner Gavin Singleton and his community, to visualize the spiritual connection both surfers and First Nations people share with the ocean – known as ‘Sea Country’.
In addition, the film consists of traditional line art and ripple effect concept overlayed with free-flowing tentacles design, which will be a true statement for the Australian team across uniforms, surfboard accessories, and transport, as well as team jet skis, and all of Surfing Australia’s internal assets.
Surfing Australia manages the national surf team of the country. Its new name and tagline were named after the Irukandji jellyfish – an extremely venomous species of jellyfish that inhabit the country’s marine waters.
Surfing Australia’s CEO Chris Mater is all thanks to Singleton and the Yirrganydji people for officially giving them the Irukandji name, looking to it as a valuable feature of the future of surfing in Australia.
“The designs BWM dentsu and Jasmine have created really bring that deeper connection to Indigenous culture to life. And that embedded respect for First Nations people now gives our athletes something much bigger to compete for on the world stage,” said Mater.
Meanwhile, Marcus Tesoriero, the executive creative director at BWM dentsu, commented that no matter how big or small the role is, they all have a role to play in Reconciliation.
“In a land surrounded by Sea Country, we hope the attention our newly uniformed Irukandjis team get heading to the Olympic Games plays a role in spreading recognition and respect, driving us all to build deeper relationships with First Nations people,” said Tesoriero.
Australian representatives across all surfing genres, such as Junior, Open, Masters, and Longboard, as well as Big Wave, and Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP), among others, will compete under The Irukandjis national identity and united colors at international events such as the Olympics, International Surfing Association (ISA), and World Surfing Games, as well as WSL World Juniors, and Longboard Championships.
