For the next three weeks, Brisbane’s riverbanks will be transformed into a vivid playground of colour and form as internationally acclaimed design duo Craig & Karl debut their large-scale installation Walk this Way across three of the city’s landmark bridges.
Stretching across the Neville Bonner Bridge, Goodwill Bridge, and the brand-new Kangaroo Point Green Bridge, the project sees giant inflatable arches and bold graphics animate the everyday, inviting passers-by to walk through, linger, and see the city in a new light. The installation is part of this year’s Brisbane Festival, which runs until September 27.
A Homecoming of Sorts
For Craig Redman and Karl Maier, who grew up in New South Wales and the Gold Coast and first met as students at Griffith University in Brisbane, the project is as much a return as it is a debut. “We developed our design sensibilities in Brisbane,” says Redman. “That bright Australian light, the super high contrast—it’s always been in our work.”
Their collaboration, now nearly three decades strong, has taken them to New York and London, with commissions for global heavyweights like LVMH, Apple, Nike and Google. Their signature: bold, witty, and unabashedly colourful interventions that reimagine public spaces from Seoul to London.
Double Vision
Coinciding with Griffith University’s 50th anniversary, the duo is also presenting Double Vision, an exhibition at the Griffith University Art Museum that traces their creative journey. While not a retrospective, the show reflects on their early experiments while showcasing new work that leans toward immersive installations. “It’s a nod and a thanks to each other,” says Redman of their long-standing partnership.
Reviving Expo 88 Energy
For Walk this Way, childhood memories of World Expo 88 were a guiding influence. “It felt like you were experiencing the whole world in one place,” recalls Maier. That same spirit of wonder runs through their Festival projects—transforming familiar structures into moments of joy and optimism.
As Redman puts it: “Good public art tells the story of a place. It integrates into the city and shifts your mood, even if only for a moment.”
A Festival at Full Stretch
This year’s Brisbane Festival is the most ambitious yet, spanning 23 days, featuring over 2,200 artists, 23 productions, and more than 1,000 performances—nearly half free to the public. Against this backdrop, Craig & Karl’s kaleidoscopic bridges promise to be among the Festival’s most memorable sights: playful, bold, and distinctly Brisbane.
