Stix Hit, Car Flips

NASHVILLE, TN -- Met often with quizzical looks and polite "hmmmmms," the Stix art installation at the Eighth Avenue roundabout near downtown met the front end of a speeding car early Thursday morning.

Metro Police said a car traveling more than 100 mph hopped a curb at the roundabout, flipping and careening into one of the 70-foot multi-colored sticks that make up Stix.

The driver crawled through the back window and was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for treatment. The extent of the driver's injuries is unknown, nor is it clear what, if any, charges will be filed.

Not exactly controversial in the way that, say, the Musica nudes at the Music Row roundabout are, Stix could, generously, be described as a conversation starter, since no one seems clear what exactly the giant poles represent.

Although, the sculptor indicates that's sort of the point.

"When I first saw the project site, my immediate reaction was to do something very tall, with good visibility from afar. It was suggested that the proposed artwork should be highly iconic, keeping in mind that not every piece of public art in 'Music City' needs to directly refer to its omnipresent musical past and present," artist Christian Moeller told the Nashville Arts Commission.
"Stix occupies almost the entirety of the available space and creates an overall volume of urban dimensions. Instead of developing an artwork for the roundabout, my goal became to turn the entire roundabout into an artwork. The result is a large structural piece characterized by color with unlimited 360-degree viewing angles, making the journey around this roundabout an exciting visual experience. What some people might read as a cluster of gigantic arrows fallen from the sky or scattered horse jumping rails is a piece of contemporary art, which will age beautifully given its composition of native hardwood and vibrant colors."

Image via Nashville Arts Commission