Inception

Inception is a 26 foot-tall, 14,000 pound public sculpture designed and created by Deedee Morrison for the Sunrise Rotary Plaza, behind M2, between 35th and 36th Street South on the Hugh Kaul Trail.

The sculpture, constructed with sections of 80-pound railroad rails, represents a drop of water at the moment it hits the surface of a pond. It evokes the history of Avondale as a popular source of water and later as a rail suburb of Birmingham. The drop also represents, "the establishment or starting point of an activity," and invites reflection on how moments in time are remembered as they ripple outward. The circular plaza, designed by Jane Reed Ross of Goodwyn Mills Cawood, echoes that theme while also recalling the site of a former railroad roundhouse.

The sculpture was dedicated by members of the Sunrise Rotary Club on Tuesday, June 28, 2022.

References

• Byington, Pat (May 19, 2022) "Soaring 26 feet high, weighing 7 tons, a sculpture called “Inception” to rise above Sunrise Rotary Plaza." Bham Now
• Thornton, William (July 1, 2022) "New sculpture forged from railroad steel taps into Birmingham’s history." The Birmingham News