Singing seesaws, contented cats and a regiment of robots set to descend on city

Art, science and technology are set to collide, with seesaws that talk, sing and converse with riders, cats in a robot-controlled habitat, and a seven-metre-high installation among 14 creations to feature in next year’s Curiocity Brisbane.

Queensland Museum Network chief Jim Thompson said he was delighted that curious Brisbane minds would be able to experience the creations between March 22 and April 2 as part of the World Science Festival.

The Climate Wars, by Simone Eisler, was inspired by the Trojan Horse and Noah’s Ark.

“This year’s artists showcase the interconnectivity between arts and science and how this creativity promotes the biggest ideas shaping our world,” he said.

The artworks will be scattered across South Bank’s Riverside Green, the cultural precinct, Queen Street Mall, and other sites.

Brisbane artist, academic and Curiocity Brisbane curator Jay Younger says he’s eager to bring the latest ideas in science and technology into the public realm.

“In 2023, visitors to Curiocity Brisbane will explore world-class installations from the imaginative minds of prominent Australian and international artists,” Younger said.

In Cat Royale – livestreamed from the UK – three cats will live in a robot-controlled utopia.

Curiocity Brisbane will include Madeleine Flynn and Tim Humphrey’s Pivot, in which seesaws at South Bank’s Little Stanley Street Lawn will interact with riders through word recognition.

Simone Eisler’s seven-metre-high The Climate Wars, at South Bank’s Riverside Green, was inspired by the Trojan Horse and Noah’s Ark, while Indigenous artist Jennifer Herd’s vinyl image Amplify/Defy references the rainforest that shielded her ancestors to question the properties of camouflage.