Art created to start climate change talks sinks after storm

WetLand (Photo: wet-land.org)

PHILADELPHIA — A piece of art designed to generate conversation about climate change and rising sea levels has sunk in a Philadelphia river after heavy rains caused it to take on water.

WetLand was a floating installation designed by environmental artist Mary Mattingly intended to look like a sinking row house. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports (http://bit.ly/2vfsBGX ) it was inspired by images of semi-submerged houses after Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy.

The artwork was created for Philadelphia’s 2014 Fringe Festival and has been installed on the Schuylkill (SKOO’-kul) River. It’s the centerpiece of a series of environmental artworks on the river aimed at starting conversations about climate change.

Bartram’s Garden, near where the installation was moored, attributes Sunday’s sinking to a recent storm. They hope it will be towed soon to assess damages.