New Philadelphia art structure FloatLab turns heads on Schuylkill River

A rare and unique art structure known as FloatLab is settling into its permanent home on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia Wednesday after a decades-long process.

The large green circle on the river got some people to swing by and capture it taking pictures and videos, like Carleen Wagner of Sharon Hill.

"I heard that the FloatLab was here today, so here I am," Wagner said.

Coming from North Carolina, the 75-foot art structure will now be tethered outside Bartram's Garden in Southwest Philadelphia near the 56th Street Plaza.

The artist behind FloatLab designed it in collaboration with Bartram's Garden and Mural Arts Philadelphia.

Bartram's Garden executive director Maitreyi Roy said FloatLab will give people an up-close and personal experience with the river.

"I call it the looking glass, that you can look down to the riverbed," she said.

Roy says guests will be eye level with the river while on the structure, providing a vantage point one usually only gets if they're swimming or on a boat.

As for what the programming looks like when FloatLab opens, workshops, outdoor art programs, kayaking and fishing could be among the options.

Mural Arts will be taking requests for ideas from artists about programming for FloatLab, Roy said. The focus on Wednesday, though, was making sure the structure survived its trip to Philadelphia, including checking the systems and paint.

A foot bridge and dock will connect the FloatLab to land, but that still has to be built.

Roy says the artist behind it wanted it to be a platform for re-engaging with rivers. It's set to open in September.