Sunrise Rotary Plaza unveiled its newest addition today—a 26-foot sculpture named Inception, designed by nationally-acclaimed artist Deedee Morrison. Read on for more details and photos + video of the exciting installation.

In case you missed it—Sunrise Rotary Plaza

Sunrise Rotary Plaza / Rotary Club of Birmingham / Ghost Train M2 — Sunrise Rotary Plaza (Nathan Watson / Bham Now)

We know there’s a lot of pretty exciting things happening around town these days, so allow us to give a quick refresher on Sunrise Rotary Plaza ICYMI.

Here’s what you need to know:

Who: Birmingham Sunrise Rotarians, with support from the community
What: A plaza with ample outdoor seating and custom-made art along the Jones Valley Trail Extension (and a pretty snazzy new sculpture, too)
Where: It’s located on the newly opened Hugh Kaul Trail: 3501 1st Ave. South, 35222

That’s right, soon you’ll have a new favorite spot for snapping selfies or taking a breather while you walk along the trail.

“It’s placemaking and it’s building community. Nothing brings people together like a healthy lifestyle, and the trails, plaza and art will mark the spot. It will become iconic. People will start saying, ‘meet me at the plaza’ and it’s very exciting.”
—Jane Ross, Senior Landscape Architect

Inception, designed by DeeDee Morrison for Sunrise Rotary Plaza

The woman behind the masterpiece is artist Deedee Morrison. We had the unique opportunity of standing alongside her as the statue was lifted upright for the very first time.

The massive sculpture is 26 feet tall and weighs over 14,000 pounds! Among other materials, Morrison utilized hand-cut historic rail steel for this special project. Curious about her design process and the meaning behind the statue’s name? Check out her full artist statement.

“It’s always so dramatic to envision something in your head and to think about place and space and how 3-D objects fit into that. When it does work and it feels like it aesthetically fits the elements in place, then it’s beautiful, and I feel like this sculpture merits that…
I am very proud of it—I think it speaks to the history of Birmingham.”
—Deedee Morrison, artist

Photos and Video from today’s installation

Of course, we couldn’t miss today’s installation. Scroll on for photos and video from the live event. Time to plan your trip to the trail to see it in person!