MARC FORNES / THEVERYMANY’s serpent-like sculpture slithers through knoxville

MARC FORNES / THEVERYMANY SHAPES COLOR-GRADIENT CANOPY

MARC FORNES / THEVERYMANY unveils Pier 865 in Knoxville’s Cradle of Country Music Park, a walkable sculpture that doubles as public infrastructure. Rising where a concrete pier meets an aluminum canopy, the piece forms a serpent-like structure. Built from hundreds of pre-folded aluminum strips, each painted in a gradient of seven tones, soft greens, deep-sea blues, and butter yellow, the canopy’s surface behaves like a living skin. Stretching into the treetops, Pier 865 offers views of foliage, neighborhoods, and distant mountains. From the ground, it evokes plant life sprouting from concrete; from above, a reptilian silhouette coiling through the park. Cantilevered wings provide places to sit, gather, or pause, turning this public artwork into a civic hangout that moves with the landscape.

PIER 865: A WALKABLE SCULPTURE TRANSFORMING KNOXVILLE’S PARK

The New York-based team at MARC FORNES / THEVERYMANY lifts the city level into nature, forming steps, ledges, and resting spots that feel like part of the terrain. Above, Pier 865 lands on five slender legs and branches into three distinct wings. One loops forward while another rises into a shaded platform that functions as a small stage for community events. A third tapers low and quiet, offering refuge among the trees. 

Since 1986, the park has served as a tribute to Knoxville’s country music heritage and a gathering space for locals. The aluminum canopy extends that legacy, framing public art as urban infrastructure, not just something to look at.

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project info:

name: Pier 865

architect: MARC FORNES / THEVERYMANY | @theverymany

location: Knoxville, Tennessee

commissioner: City of Knoxville

photography: © Steve Kroodsma | @photo.kroo, © Keith Isaacs | @keithisaacsphoto