TRUMPET FLOWER | Main Street Square | Houston, TX
2016 | Painted Wood & Carbon Steel | 35’ x 37’ x 67’ high
Plants of the Brugmansia genus are unique in that their pendulous flowers, also called “angel’s trumpets”, while beautiful are one of the most toxic flowers, known to cause delirium and hallucinations to those who ingest them. The relationship of beauty and reality was the inspiration for the 6-story sculpture produced for Main Street Square in downtown Houston.
Resting on a tripod of heavy steel pipes, the artwork shoots up 75’ before touching off on the corner of an adjacent parking garage, where it is secured. The large canopy, that resembles the distinctive trumpet flower, twists upward clad in a brightly-colored network of woven wood strips. The large cavernous form with its candy-colored surface, and dreamy ethereal lighting is a surprising and mysterious find when visitors discover it nestled within the buildings of this heavily visited area of downtown.
The local community was invited to participate in the creation of the sculpture’s surface by painting the wood strips. Over 1,000 people turned up to share their artistic energy at the public painting party.
AWARDS | Outstanding Public Art Project | Public Network of the American for the Arts
DOWNLOAD | project sheet
