Quite like how the petals align to create a flower at the Petals in Perspective installation at the Sensory Knolls, for co-creator Owen Tintor, this display aligned perfectly with a familiar place for him.

The outdoor installation at the Gardens at The Leaf this summer, part of the Cool Gardens art installations presented by Storefront Manitoba, was created by four University of Manitoba students: Noah Shotton, Gavin Buhler, Bayan Shaeri, and Owen Tintor. The installation highlights two Manitoban plant species: the prairie crocus and the endangered Western Spiderwort.

For Tintor, he knew the Sensory Garden was the perfect place for their installation because he was deeply familiar with the area – he has been working with Assiniboine Park's grounds department as a seasonal general labourer since 2024.

Tintor, painting part of the Petals in Perspective display, behind The Leaf.

"I had heard from a friend that Assiniboine Park was a great place to work during the summer as a university student. The idea of working outside all summer hooked me in, and I had such a great time last year that I came back to the Park this summer."

Last fall, when he started his first year at the University of Manitoba's Faculty of Architecture, he met Shotton, Buhler, and Shaeri, and they were encouraged to participate and connect with the community in any way they could.

"One of us was very interested in the Cool Gardens design contest and wanted to gather a team to make an entry. When I saw that one of the available sites was at the Gardens at The Leaf, I campaigned for us to choose that location for our installation," says Tintor. "My experience with the gardens from my position at Assiniboine Park helped me visualize how Petals in Perspective could exist on the site through the summer, even as we were conceiving of it in February."

L to R: Noah Shotton, Bayan Shaeri, Owen Tintor, and Gavin Buhler, posing with their outdoor installation, Petals in Perspective.

With the Cool Gardens' vision of creating "innovative, engaging, and accessible landscape art installations," Petals in Perspective comprises of different flower pieces on the Sensory Knolls, which, when aligned, form a complete flower. The goal of the installation is to create a fun and interactive experience while also highlighting wildlife conservation and habitat fragmentation, which affects the flowers on display. Tintor explains that "habitat fragmentation is one of the leading causes of species loss, and so by fragmenting these flowers into individual components, we hope to communicate this process."

He says the reception to the installation has been very positive, with current talks about having the project published in this year's journal of student work and the University of Manitoba's student newspaper. For him, the best reception has been from those who have come to the installation to check it out.

"Seeing people interact with the installation on their own, taking a few minutes to trek up and around the (Sensory) Knolls to find the points where these flower petals align, has been an amazing feeling to see people enjoy what you've built. We've been proud and appreciative of all the reception we've received since we first installed it in June."

There's no break for these students over the summer, though - Tintor says the team has already been creating more incredible art for the city.

"Storefront Manitoba invited us to design and build an installation for an event celebrating the reopening of Winnipeg's Portage and Main intersection. We had a great time designing a set of colourful metal "portals" to adorn each corner of the intersection, which are now set to be displayed by various buildings this summer."

The team's current project involves preparing their entry for the Warming Huts design contest at The Forks, as well as smaller projects focused on furniture design during the school year.

Plan your visit to The Leaf today to see Petals in Perspective, as well as PAIRIDAEZA, the indoor installation, at the Babs Asper Display House.