Esprit

Artist Dr Dacchi Dang created this hand-drawn animation in response to the Vietnamese Australian experience of the Vietnam War. An estimated 1.5 million hand drawn marks were to create this eight minute film, a tribute to all veterans who served and the Vietnamese people who endured the war and its legacy. The film transitions between three scenes, in drawings which gradually build up and represent the complexity of war and its ongoing aftermath.

The first scene - which can be viewed in the preview below - can be seen as either the ocean or the land: evoking both the Vietnamese diaspora fleeing by boat and the destruction and chaos wrought in Vietnam. Lotus flowers symbolise purity and regeneration, but here they are black. The darkness of the withdrawal of the United States forces and the lasting damage left by chemical warfare.

New life and hope is represented by the introduction of colour. The flourishing bamboo symbolises resilience and survival, but also the oppressive threat during jungle warfare. Bloodspots represent the sacrifice of both foreign troops and the Vietnamese, who were fighting for their homeland, for their ancestors. The blood builds up, representing the extent of the sacrifice, mingling with the yellow of the bamboo leaves, referencing both the flag and the after affects of Agent Orange for the Vietnamese people and veterans alike.

Dr Dacchi Dang was commissioned to create works of art responding to this important but relatively little-known aspect of Australian history with the support of funds from the Gillespie Bequest. Major John Milton Gillespie was a Vietnam veteran and immigration consultant. The film was produced by Janelle Evans.