Mural Arts Program Brings Light to Manayunk Canal Restoration with Temporary Art Project
Opened nearly 200 years ago, the Manayunk Canal is back in the spotlight as the subject of the Mural Arts Program’s temporary art project, Escaped Infrastructure.
The Mural Arts Program collaborated with the Manayunk Special Services District and Thoughtbarn, an Austin-based design studio, to create the site-specific installation located on the Manayunk Canal and towpath on Main Street.
Inspired by the network of pipes, tubes, and wires that exist along the canal, the project uses motion-sensitive water pumps to let passersby interact with the water’s movement. LED lights illuminate water flowing through the installation’s PVC tubes, allowing the artwork to light up at night.
Beyond Paint on the Walls
With an aim to bring new life to the Manayunk Canal, a remnant of Philadelphia’s industrial past, the structure lends the canal a new audible quality — allowing the water to be actually heard for the first time.
The temporary artwork aims to heighten the public’s awareness of the waterway by supporting its aquatic habitats. The piece not only acts as a commentary on how important the Manayunk Canal once was, but it is vital to re-defining the mural movement of the 21st century.
Similarities in going beyond the wall to create innovative artwork could be drawn to Light Drift, a 2010 temporary interactive installation that used sensors to engage viewers with colorful orbs of light along Schuylkill Banks between Market and Chestnut. The collaboration between the Mural Arts Program and artist J. Meejin Yoon was no doubt a step in the right direction for opening up the field to temporary interactive installations.
“The partnership with the Manayunk Development Corporation is a great opportunity to examine new and different ways of using public art to interact with landscape, specifically the Manayunk Canal,” said Cari Feiler Bender, media contact for the Mural Arts Program.
Bender says Mural Arts is always looking for creative project ideas and mentioned that the nonprofit has plans for several big projects coming up in the next 18 months. “While they won’t be replicas of Escaped Infrastructure, we look forward to all sorts of creative and challenging projects in the coming months.”
Canal Restoration Begins
Long-term plans are underway to restore the canal, which was usually hidden from view on Main Street, to its original navigable condition. The Philadelphia Water Department, in partnership with the City’s department of Parks & Recreation, have undertaken the restoration, focusing on water quality, historic preservation, recreation, and overall habitat. Groups like Friends of the Manayunk Canal are also dedicated to the protection, restoration, and preservation of the natural and historical resources of the area.
The temporary exhibit will close-up shop on Sunday, July 29th. Find more information here.
Photos by Thoughtbarn c/o Mural Arts Program
blog comments powered by Disqus