At virtually any time between 9 and 5 p.m., multiple people can be seen staring and taking pictures of the colorful piece of public art, which serves as a fun change of pace to their mundane work day.
From now until Nov. 16 — just in time for Halloween — the artwork of UK artists Filthy Luker and Pedro Estrellas can be seen blowing out from the windows of Building 611 at the Navy Yard near the corner of 13th Street and Flagship Drive. Sea Monsters HERE is the largest inflatable tentacle sculpture ever created by the artists and is the first collaborative partnership between Group X, a group of anonymous Philly-based artists, curators and organizers, and the Navy Yard, South Philly’s redevelopment of a former military base where more than 13,500 employees work at 150 companies, surrounded by miles of riverfront access.
At virtually any time between 9 and 5 p.m., multiple people can be seen staring and taking pictures of the colorful piece of public art, which serves as a fun change of pace to their mundane work day.
According to a press release, the installation employs 20 inflated tentacles ranging from 32 feet to 40 feet to form what appears to be a purple sea creature escaping from Building 611. With their sculpture, Luker and Estrellas attend to the urban environment to offer humor and to make us think. They wish to inspire the onlookers to see their surroundings in a different light.
“The Navy Yard is the perfect place to create a large-scale, public installation for a number of reasons,” said Group X. “We’re aiming to make artwork enjoyable for all. We want to break through the proverbial, and in this case physical, walls that can too often keep people from feeling invited into the arts world … and with this installation, we’re just getting started.”
Building 611 is a 215,000 square-foot metal paneled, two-story building that was constructed in 1942 and served as the storehouse for the Naval Air Material Center at the former Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Today, the building still functions as a warehouse even as it serves as the perfect large-scale canvas for Sea Monsters HERE.
“The Navy Yard is one of Philadelphia’s most iconic places, with layers of historic and modern buildings, large-scale warehouses, and maritime assets along the riverfront. We partnered with Group X to find an artist who would use the Navy Yard as a platform for art to surprise and delight the audience,” said Jennifer Tran, PIDC’s Director of Navy Yard Marketing & Communications. “We are thrilled to unveil this one-of-a-kind and striking public art installation today, which gives visitors and employees another reason to explore the Navy Yard.”
