Sea Monsters HERE Takes Over Navy Yard Building

Has a secret experiment gone haywire in what appears to be an abandoned warehouse at the Philadelphia Navy Yard? Or is it a Halloween prank? Better yet it is an art installation that is attracting the interests of Navy Yard workers and the public at large.

Sea Monsters HERE is the largest inflatable tentacle sculpture ever created from world-renowned United Kingdom artists Filthy Luker and Pedros Estrellas. The temporary inflatable sea serpent is not hard to miss as its larger-than-life elongated flexible arms can be seen from land, river and air.

The art install has taken over Building 611 at the Navy Yard. The appendages of the sea creature are coming out of the windows and through the roof of the two-story warehouse and it has caught the attention of workers as well as the curious who have ventured down Broad Street to the former
naval installation to see the work and take selfies. It can also be seen from the Delaware River and even by flights heading into and out of Philadelphia International Airport.

The project is the first collaborative partnership between Group X, a band of Philadelphia based artists, curators and organizers whose members are anonymous and the Navy Yard.

The installation features 20 inflated tentacles ranging from 32 feet to 40 feet protruding from windows and the top of the building giving onlookers the appearance that the colorful sea creature is trying to escape.

In a statement Group X said, “the Navy Yard is the perfect place to create a large scale public installation.” The organizers and curators added that they are “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.

The attraction is an inviting location at 13th Street and Flagship Avenue at the foot of the Navy Yard. The day that I visited workers on their lunch break were snapping photos while motorists were parking and getting out of their cars to get as up close and personal that a security guard and a chain-linked fence would allow you.

Sea Monsters HERE is on view day and night until Friday, November 16th.
The Navy Yard is free and open to the public and is accessible by car, bike, foot or Navy Yard Transit.

Once off-limits for the general public when it was a fully-functional Naval Base, people are invited to explore the Navy Yard which has been transformed into a thriving riverfront community home to more than 150 companies like Urban Outfitters, Tastykake and GSK and satellite offices for Jefferson Health and Penn State University.