Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro

Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro explore the intersections between the natural and built environments through their innovative public art installations. Their work often draws inspiration from the architectural wonders of nature, creating thoughtful connections with human-made structures. Healy and Cordeiro's practice focuses on interconnectedness, transformation, and play, weaving narratives exploring how nature and urban environments influence each other.

Their creation, titled Magic Circle, blends organic forms with urban infrastructure, offering a striking commentary on how human-made systems mirror patterns found in nature. Inspired by the collective behaviour of ants and the fluidity of skate parks, Magic Circle celebrates the creativity found in both. Its undulating, highly reflective surfaces invite viewers to engage with the space, drawing parallels between the curved designs of ant nests and human skate bowls. In this way, the artwork transforms the environment, creating a playful dialogue between the city and nature. The convex shapes of Magic Circle offer a modern counterpoint to the concave designs of Tom Bass' nearby fountain, enriching the conversation between contemporary and heritage artworks at the site.

This ever-changing reflection connects to Johan Huizinga's concept of the "Magic Circle" from Homo Ludens, where spaces of play take on extraordinary qualities through human interaction. In this sense, the artwork becomes a communal space where public engagement becomes part of the work's ongoing story.

The making of Magic Circle was a feat of collaboration and technical precision. Healy and Cordeiro worked closely with our Shanghai and Brisbane engineers, designers, and fabricators to ensure that the materials—polished stainless steel panels—were visually stunning, durable, and suited for public interaction. The panels were crafted to be just 2mm thick but strong enough to withstand environmental factors. The Brisbane and Shanghai teams were pivotal in translating the artists' vision into a tangible, large-scale installation that measures approximately 9.2 meters by 5.8 meters, with a depth of just under one meter.