As the sun sets on the new Renaissance Park in Chattanooga, Tenn., Deedee Morrison’s newest solar-powered sculpture comes to life.

Morrison, an Alabama artist, is known for creating large beautiful rock and metal sculptures for public art displays. She recently began incorporating solar into her sculptures.

“Solar was just such a perfect fit for this setting,” she said of her Seed-Pod sculpture along the new river walk in Chattanooga.

The riverbank there had suffered from environmental damage, and the city undertook a major revitalization effort there, restoring 13 miles of river frontage across from its liveliest section of town where the museums, theaters, libraries and aquariums are located.

Morrison said the city plans to extend the river walk and revitalize another 13 miles of frontage.

The restoration efforts focused on energy efficiency and green practices. There is already solar energy incorporated into the riverbank beautification with a filtration system, Morrison said.

Her Seed-Pod sculpture, however, is the most visible demonstration of the green efforts that went into the restoration.

A solar tower next to the sculpture collects the sun’s energy during the day and then powers 84 aluminum and colored Lucite panels in the sculpture at night.

The lights come on just as the sun begins to set and then grow with intensity as the night settles in.

“Solar sculptures in the right environment are extremely effective ways to demonstrate how solar energy works and can become an icon of sustainability for a city,” Morrison said.

This is the park’s first solar sculpture, Morrison said. She is gaining notoriety for her work with lights and solar and incorporating that technology into her art. She began to include lights several years ago to soften the appearance of the cold industrial materials she uses to construct her pieces.

She became interested in solar and has learned a lot about it.

Most of her solar pieces include a separate solar tower like Seed-Pod has. But one, Sun Catcher, in Florida has panels incorporated directly into the piece.

She is working on another for a hospital that will use the panels as active pieces in the sculpture rather than a hidden or separate element. She’s picturing the panels as kites in the piece, she said.