We acknowledge Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live and give respect to their Elders, past and present.

Read our Statement of Reflection

Your Cart

Your cart is empty right now...

Discover what's on
Your Stuff
Lists
No lists found
Create list
List name
0 Saved items
Updated: a few seconds ago
Getting Started
Get started with Your Stuff

A free Your Stuff account allows you to save, list and share your favourite collection items and articles. This account will give you access to Your Stuff, NFSA Player and Pro. You will need to create an additional account for Canberra event tickets.

Confirm
Skip to main content
National Film and Sound Archive of AustraliaNational Film and Sound Archive
National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
National Film and Sound Archive
National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
National Film and Sound Archive

Lighting the sails of the Sydney Opera House with Olympic gold

2020

Lighting the sails of the Sydney Opera House with Olympic gold

2020

    • WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that the following program may contain images and/or audio of deceased persons

    For one night only, on 25 September 2020, the sails of the Sydney Opera House lit up to celebrate the 20th anniversary of an iconic moment in Australia's sporting history and its preservation on DNA.

    Cathy Freeman won gold in the Women's 400 metre race at the Sydney Olympic Games on 25 September 2000. Twenty years later the NFSA has preserved the video of the historic race for future generations using an innovative, sustainable, long-term storage technology: synthetic DNA.

    This project is a world first, using emerging DNA data storage technology to preserve moving image for archival purposes. It is also the first Australian video ever to be encoded on DNA.

    This preservation initiative is a partnership between the NFSA and the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage (OFCH). Learn more about the project in this article.

    © 2020 Images of Cathy Freeman and Olympic Games All rights reserved by International Olympic Committee. This footage shall only be used for personal/non-commercial purposes.

    • WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that the following program may contain images and/or audio of deceased persons

    For one night only, on 25 September 2020, the sails of the Sydney Opera House lit up to celebrate the 20th anniversary of an iconic moment in Australia's sporting history and its preservation on DNA.

    Cathy Freeman won gold in the Women's 400 metre race at the Sydney Olympic Games on 25 September 2000. Twenty years later the NFSA has preserved the video of the historic race for future generations using an innovative, sustainable, long-term storage technology: synthetic DNA.

    This project is a world first, using emerging DNA data storage technology to preserve moving image for archival purposes. It is also the first Australian video ever to be encoded on DNA.

    This preservation initiative is a partnership between the NFSA and the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage (OFCH). Learn more about the project in this article.

    © 2020 Images of Cathy Freeman and Olympic Games All rights reserved by International Olympic Committee. This footage shall only be used for personal/non-commercial purposes.

      Industry professional? Go Pro

      Need to license this item? A/V professionals and researchers can shortlist licensing enquiries via our NFSA Pro catalogue search and membership.

      Get started with PRO

      Collections to explore

      • Start your own collection

        A free Your Stuff account allows you to save, organise and share your favourite videos, audio and stories.

      Personalized your experience

      Save, create and share

      With NFSA Your Stuff