project overview

Sun Pitchers | District 3 Gateway | Winridge Park

“ Inspired by flower and tree forms, the artwork’s grouping of vertical elements indicates growth, prosperity, and plenty.”

Heliamphorest, or Sun Pitchers, is a gateway to Winridge Park that stands as a beacon in the community. This cluster of stainless steel sculptures creates a dynamic intervention in the urban landscape, symbolizing the character of the park: a hybrid of the built environment and the natural greenspace. The sculptures strike a balance between elegance and whimsy, as the flower-like abstract forms bloom into conical crowns of color. Woven strips of stainless ensnaring a rainbow of material evokes stained glass; this cone atop each mast catches and filters sunlight into a beautiful kaleidoscope of colors. Inspired by flower and tree forms, the artwork’s grouping of vertical elements indicates growth, prosperity, and plenty, and helps promote the values of the Memphis park system as a place for community-building and healthy activity. Children of all ages can venture through the grove of sculptures on their way into Winridge Park for an afternoon of recreation in a lovely setting.

about the artists

Flying carpet creative

Flying Carpet is a public sculpture group based out of Houston, TX that is dedicated to dynamic place-making. The team consists of sculpture artists Patrick Renner and Kelly O'Brian. Their vision for sculptural works rests on the cultivation of impactful experiences. Each design is developed from the ground up, starting with deep inquiry about the connection between specific places and people that inhabit them. Flying Carpet Creative is committed to delivering cutting-edge artwork that’s fresh in both form and use of appropriate materials. Their core development team blends capabilities in aesthetic, structural, and logistical arenas.