It's no secret to New York City's dwellers that we live in an enchanting city, chock full of natural innovations.
Our all-star artists are constantly coming up with creative ideas to keep NYC the cultural powerhouse we're famous for being. So you probably won't be too surprised to hear that there might be a giant garden floating in the Hudson River next summer.
Okay, so maybe you are surprised. We're a tiny bit surprised too, but mostly we're impressed by this novelty project.
According to the Observer, Artist Mary Mattingly is working with area schools on the floating garden, titled Swale.
Mattingly's work focuses on environmental, economic, and political change.
Her latest piece was the much celebrated WetLand, in which she built an idyllic boathouse on the Delaware River in 2014. Mattingly current lives in the gorgeous boathouse she designed.
Mattingly's new project, Swale, is even more ambitious than Wetland was. Mattingly will build her new floating garden with repurposed shipping containers and design it to stretch 50 feet across. It will be funded by a fellowship from 'A Blade of Grass'.
The garden will feature a gangway entrance, walkways, and an edible forest garden. The best news is that Swale will be open to the public. Visitors will be invited to help maintain the garden and collect fresh food.
When actualized, Swale will be the latest take on a recent succession of repurposed gardens driven toward the goal of bringing New York consumers closer to their food.
Via SwaleNY.org
Brooklyn Grange grows two rooftop gardens, one in Queens and one in Brooklyn, both of which grow and sell over 50,000 pounds of organically cultivated produce per year.
Eagle Street Rooftop Farm also grows organically cultivated vegetables on a 6,000-square-foot rooftop in Brooklyn, which supply their onsite farmer's market. They also bicycle fresh produce to area restaurants.
"We hope for a future that's less dependent on large-scale supply and waste chains and instead interdependently provides for some of our daily needs," Mattingly said.
Mattingly will get help from students at Stuyvesant High School, Dwight Englewood, and Fairfield University, as well as local gardeners. They'll all work on a base layer of wetland plants that will filter water from the river to help nourish edible plants.
This massive artwork is still in its planning and construction stages. Nautical engineering designs are set to be finalized by the spring.
Even though we know it's a long way off, we're already super stoked about the prospect of strolling around this floating garden next summer.
Check out Coming Soon (And We Can't Hardly Wait): The First-Ever Underground Park in NYC.
[via Observer]