Kingsford Smith Drive Public Art Trail
Brisbane City Council is creating more to see and do with public art trails across the city.
Take a stroll along the Brisbane River and experience artworks that draw on the local history of Kingsford Smith Drive and its riverbank with the Kingsford Smith Drive Public Art Trail. The trail between Cameron Rocks Reserve and Remora Road at Hamilton includes a series of colourful art beacons and ground artworks.
The public art installations have been delivered as part of the Kingsford Smith Drive upgrade and form part of Council's commitment to improving the urban amenity of the corridor, along with extensive landscaping, lighting, and signage.
'Magnificent Flying Machines' artwork
The Magnificent Flying Machines are a series of 10 colourful art beacons created by Kenji Uranishi – a Japanese-born, Brisbane-based artist. The art beacons were designed to be wayfinding markers along Kingsford Smith Drive to encourage residents and visitors to explore the area. The colourful art beacons take inspiration from two ground-breaking Australian aviators and Hamilton locals – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and Maude 'Lores' Bonney.
Reflecting the concept of being 'guided home' for arrivals from Brisbane Airport, the beacons are streamlined and aerodynamic in feel, inspired by the propeller forms on the aircraft local Australian aviators used to fly on their unchartered journeys.
When moulded and twisted, these propellers create forms reminiscent of a butterfly's chrysalis – a metaphor for life's challenges and constant transformations. Kenji intertwines these courageous aviators' pioneering spirit and passion for adventure with the awe-inspiring, determined journey of an orchard swallowtail butterfly – the largest butterfly common to Brisbane.
'bandarra-gan chidna: strong woman track/track of strong women' artwork
bandarra-gan: strong woman track/track of strong women is a separate series of ground-level artworks (2019) by Australian artist, Judy Watson. The artworks explore untold stories of Brisbane and the stories of notable women who left their mark on our history. The multi-layered trail artwork is designed to connect the viewer to the iconography, artefacts, flora, fauna, and women connected to this city.
Read more about this artwork on the National Library of Australia website.
Kingsford Smith Drive map and text views
Select an icon on the map to read about each artwork in the public art trail and to view an image. Alternatively, slide the 'map view' button (on the right, above the map) to 'text view' to read about the artworks in a table (without images).