Craig & Karl takes over Brisbane bridges with colourful inflatables
Australian artist duo Craig & Karl has created inflatable interventions for several walking bridges in Brisbane, Australia, incorporating sweeping arches and domes that respond to the unique architecture of each structure.
Brisbane-born creatives Craig Redman and Karl Maier, who are now based in New York and London respectively, were commissioned to develop the installations as the centrepiece of the Brisbane Festival 2025.
The large-scale artworks located on the Neville Bonner Bridge, the Goodwill Bridge and the new Kangaroo Point Bridge form part of a citywide public art trail called Walk This Way.
The project aims to connect the local community with the Brisbane River's walkways, which visitors can also explore during organised walking tours featuring insights from the artists.
Craig & Karl's inflatable interventions combine the duo's signature style – distinguished by geometric patterns and joyful colours – with shapes informed by the bridges themselves.
The curving cable-stay Kangaroo Point Bridge is accentuated by brightly coloured inflatable arches that straddle the pedestrian and cycle-friendly route connecting Kangaroo Point to the city's CBD.
Further west, pedestrians crossing the Neville Bonner Bridge pass beneath a sculpture comprising several inflatable characters called Mateys that lean inwards to create a dome-like structure.
The Mateys also form a key component of the public art trail, serving as companions for shared experiences that invite visitors to engage with different parts of the city.
Craig & Karl's contribution to the festival also includes horizontal banners with vibrant repeat patterns, which flutter beneath the curving canopy of the Goodwill Bridge.
Redman and Maier work across design, illustration and public art, creating major installations. As part of the festival, a retrospective exhibition of the duo's work is on display at Griffith University's Queensland College of Art & Design, where the artists first met almost 30 years ago.
Other inflatable installations that have recently been featured on Dezeen include a giant floating pot by Studio Job and a pop-up hammam.
Brisbane Festival 2025 is taking place from 5 to 27 September. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
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