Manayunk Art Installation Makes Canal Interactive

The canal is coming up to Main Street.

With a new art installation presented by the and the Philadelphia Mural Arts Progam, "Escaped Infrastructure" debuts at Canal View Park in Manayunk Friday.

"Main Street in Manayunk is busy, and the towpath is quiet. We wanted to bring the towpath to eye level for Main Street," artist Lucy Begg said.

Begg, along with Robert Gay and the team at Thoughtbarn, designed an interactive light sculpture and water fountain that is built into the Manayunk Canal off Main and Conarroe Streets. Through July 29, the Austin, TX, based group will exhibit the interactive fountain.

The installation is one of three projects the Manayunk Special Services District funded, in addition to 30 paintings around Manayunk and the turtle crosswalks. As a partnership with the Mural Art Program, the MDC organized an live art exhibit that presents the canal to the people.

"We wanted it to be interactive to bring in people to our beautiful boardwalk and canal," MDC Executive Director Jane Lipton said.

Gay described the setup as five sump pumps submerged in the canal in lobster-trap like devices. Each is hooked up to its own set of clear PVC tubes, and water will be pumped through following a trigger from motion sensors. LED lights will shine the path.

He said Thoughtbarns's art inspirations are site specific. "Our idea was escaped infrastructures. How can you think of the towpath's environment," he said, adding that by pumping the canal water out, the audience can see the water quality for themselves.

In establishing the project, Lipton said the MDC immediately brought the city's public arts project onboard.

"When we think about public arts, we immediately think of the Mural Arts Program," Lipton said.

With the Mural Arts Program, MDC members evaluated hundreds of national applications to find something perfect for the canal.

Mural Arts Executive Director Jane Golden said the artists shared the Mural Arts Program's mission in arts "are integrated with the city and community," she said, adding the art incorporates 21st century modernism in light, sound and technology.

The six-week run debuts Friday with a public unveiling from 5 to 7 p.m. During the Manayunk Arts Festival, June 23 and 24, Lipton said they would also spotlight the exhibit.

"We have joggers, runners and cyclists passing by 24 hours a day. People are already stopping and asking what's going on—we want that," Lipton said.

The Canal View Park installation will be joined by canal murals completed by third, fifth and eighth grade students from . Their art is hanging behind businesses like , Belvedere Business Group and  along the towpath.

The installation furthers local art in the area.

"There's more to come. That's what's exciting—there's always more to come," Golden said.

For more information, visit Manayunk.com.