A floating garden in the Hudson River may have been a dream project last summer, but it's quickly turning into reality. The project is currently under construction, Brokelyn reports, and it will be up and ready come June.
Known as Swale, the project is the brainchild of artist Mary Mattingly. It's essentially a garden on top of a floating barge that will be docked at different locations throughout the city during the summer and fall.
But that's not all. Biome Arts, an art collective, is building a 12x12 foot, two-story pavilion on top of Swale, that the group will then use as a meeting space, a performance venue, and an art gallery of sorts - and they're calling it Eco_Hack 2016.
While Swale has been described as a floating food forest, a member of Biome Arts told Brokelyn that it's more like a garden that will comprise of fruit trees and plants, all of which will be edible and can be sampled by visitors free of cost.
Furthermore, Biome Arts is installing sensors on the plant beds to gather environmental data. That will then be used by artists to create visual projections of the information within the pavilion.
Brokelyn aptly questioned the group about the legality of it all, but the group is essentially playing it by ear. They have the requisite permissions for the floating barge, the food is being provided free of cost, and no one has stopped them yet.
Swale is also expected to dock on the Bronx Waterfront, Brooklyn Bridge Park, and Governor's Island. The floating vessel will be accessible by a gangway entrance. Dates for the official launch will announced on the project's website.