Proposed landmark · Brisbane River
NUMINA
NUMINA imagines a night-time holographic storytelling experience beneath Brisbane’s Story Bridge. Images projected onto mist bring Queensland’s reef, rainforest and city landscapes to the river, alongside the voices and performances of Queenslanders. Visitors could watch from the shore or see their own portraits become part of the changing scene. Proposed as an evolving gateway to the state, NUMINA connects the spectacle of Brisbane after dark with the people and places visitors can discover beyond the city.
Case study
Case study · October 2026 · Pages 7, 8
Numina
A gateway to Queensland
A monumental river destination combining projected water mist, mythological characters, real human stories and audience transformation.
The public opportunity
NUMINA proposes an evolving night-time destination beneath the Story Bridge, facing Howard Smith Wharves. Visitors watch from shore, take a proposed purpose-operated boat through engineered mist, or create a transformed portrait at a riverwalk console.
The experience
The Coral Oracle, Canopy Weaver and Glass City Spirit connect reef, rainforest and Brisbane’s future with real Queenslanders’ voices and performances. At consoles, visitors combine their faces with coral, jacaranda, sandstone or storm light.
Current development position
Created and directed by Georgie Pinn / Interactor. The latest deck proposes a focused 2027 test and a two-week 2028 presentation for the LA Games handover, followed by repeat editions and expansion. Funding, feasibility, engineering, marine operations, cultural agreements and approvals remain to be developed.
Source: NUMINA GATEWAY 26 v2, pp. 1-2, 5-7, 11, 13-16. Timelines and budgets are proposals.
Public value and next application
Characters, human voices and visitor participation form one continuing platform
A recognisable queensland world
The Canopy Weaver gathers forest, light and human traces; the Coral Oracle opens reef, coast and interdependence; the Glass City Spirit carries resilience, upheaval and renewal. These are original contemporary characters, introducing rather than replacing real people’s stories.
Real people at the heart
Selected and filmed story pieces retain their authors’ voices. Queensland artists, children, performers and community members can contribute stories of place, future, arrival and belonging. Documentary portraits, live performance and community commissions renew the programme.
Discovery beyond the city
Story Bridge could anchor a distinctive tourism destination. Regional stories can build interest in Queensland’s reef and rainforest; a later Gateway Bridge chapter could welcome cruise arrivals and connect river transport, interactive walks and evening precincts.
A destination that keeps evolving
A recurring cast links documentary portraits, live performance and community commissions. Seasonal, festival and First Nations-led chapters would be developed through organiser agreements and cultural authority, creating reasons to return and a programme that evolves beyond 2032.
Audience intelligence and business value
Audience intelligence: Log console sessions, selected Queensland textures and interaction time. Optional feedback could add age ranges, destination and activity interests, viewing dwell and onward evening plans. Public portrait display and marketing follow-up require separate opt-ins. Business value: Support the nighttime economy and tourism destination potential: shape evening programming, river journeys, hosted viewing and hospitality offers; encourage longer visits and regional discovery. Use visitor feedback and partner reporting to assess onward activity, spending and referrals.
How to evaluate a future commission
Participation and consent Count sessions and completed transformations; separately record public-display consent. Story and destination response Sample dwell and recall; ask which places, stories and activities visitors want to explore. Operations and onward value Test sightlines, mist, sound and vessel limits; distinguish referrals from confirmed bookings.
A useful commissioning step
Fund the focused test before scaling. Agree creative scope, safe marine interaction, cultural authority, portrait consent, audience measures and the decision criteria for a full presentation.
Source: NUMINA GATEWAY 26 v2, pp. 3-13, 16. Tourism, nighttime-economy and audience-data outputs are proposed.
